High School Parliament
by LovelyPriestess
Summary: Join the DOTM, the Followers, and every other character imaginable as they struggle through high school and its many clichés, gossip stories, heartbreaks, crushes, pranks, hookups, betrayals, and secrets.
1. TANTALIZE

**High School Parliament**

**:: SUMMARY ::**

Join the DOTM, the Followers, and every other character imaginable as they struggle through high school and its many clichés, gossip stories, heartbreaks, crushes, pranks, hook-ups, and secrets.

**:: DISCLAIMER ::**

I do not own Daughters of the Moon.

**:: AUTHOR'S NOTE ::**

I realize how weird, odd, and just plain freaky this story is! Truly, I do! But it came to me – what if every character in the Daughters of the Moon books were in high school… together? How weird could it get? I will not include Hector or Toby, though… This is an ALTERNATE UNIVERSE, so be prepared for Followers/Initiates hangin' around the Daughters (Who will not be friends). I'll include such characters as Zahi, Lambert, Aura, Maggie, Cassandra, Jerome, Yvonne, Murray, Tymmie, and even the Atrox itself!(You'll know when). There will be references to the DOTM series.

So, as Scar from Lion King would say… Be prepared… Dun, dun, dun! I think it was Scar? Hm… I'm makin' this story because I'm bored from oneshots and my serious book 13 version! Oh, and some characters will OOC, or made fun of… So… Right…

**:: CHAPTER SONGS ::**

**Don't Cha **– The Pussycat Dolls (Vanessa, Yvonne, Kelly, Cassandra)

**Built This Way **– Samantha Ronson (Mean Girls Soundtrack) (Serena)

* * *

**Chapter One**

TANTALIZE

Vanessa Cleveland strolled down the hall, her 'army' trailing closely behind – Yvonne, Cassandra, and Kelly; each with a cruel, penetrating smirk carved on their flawless faces of pure beauty. Boys ceased, mid-step, just to gaze at the goddesses that lingered in their presence. Vanessa, her chin raised high, popped bubblegum in her mouth, ignoring the rules of the school. Her golden locks of hair were flowing gently down her back and in a waving notion while her green tank top clung tightly to her slim, yet muscular figure – her cleavage _out there_. She was a goddess of perfection and devastating beauty… almost as beautiful as Tianna Moore, who was currently heading down the hall in the opposite direction.

"Hey, Tianna!" Catty howled, greeting her friend with a smack of her hand. Tianna and Catty Turner were best friends, each sporting a spot on the soccer team, while Vanessa was the head cheerleader – Cassandra being co-captain, although students were beginning to suspect a 'take-over', as Cassandra and Vanessa were never on 'good terms'.

Vanessa scowled at the obvious amount of male attention directing their heated gazes toward Tianna, her smile dazzling and dark tresses perfectly cut, along with her incredibly sculpted body.

"Relax, Vanessa," Kelly coaxed, nudging her 'leader' with her elbow. Grimacing, Vanessa and her group opted to strut in the other direction, where Tianna's presence was not known to the male population.

A few ways down, where a large, thick tree stood tall, Serena Killingsworth sat crossed-legged, a notebook in her lap as she scrolled various sentences in it, her bouncy, crimson curls falling on the paper. She was beautiful, yes, but… unnoticed, due to her quiet demeanor and strange personality – she had a pet raccoon, for crying out loud! Who in their right mind does that?!

It was strange, how her brother, Collin, was the opposite… He was, well, normal? Bleached hair, crisp skin, surfer reputation – he was a normal cliché… However, Serena had no ordinary high school cliché other than 'freak' or 'poet'…

"Who the hell tagged my locker!" a loud, furious cry echoed through the school. Students halted and watched curiously as a fuming Jimena Castillo stomped back and forth in front of her locker, which was sprayed over with signs; most probably from rival gangs. It was known to _everyone _that Jimena Castillo was a gangster, along with her boyfriend Veto, and punk friends – Tymmie, Karyl, and Murray. No one would ever dare mess with her… if you wanted to remain alive, that is…

Karyl sneered. "Probably those bastards from Turney High… Losers."

"They're gonna get it," Jimena threatened, her fists clenched tightly as she stormed off, her boyfriend and punk gang following after her, careful as to remain a safe distance away from their thundering leader.

"… She's overreacting," someone chuckled. Stanton slowly approached the locker, grinning at his work, a spray can in hand. Cassandra, who had been standing with Vanessa and the others, gawked at him, her previous conversation crashing to the floor along with her mouth. Her 'friends' rolled their eyes, tired by her constant obsessive stares. Stanton, most likely the hottest man _ever_, ruled the school, _literally_. His tousled blond hair, piercing blue eyes, and dark form made every girl (and sometimes guy) drool and gape. He was a 'bad boy', along with the heart-breakers Zahi and Jerome. Neither boy was acquainted with the other, though… if they were, it'd make every girl sigh if _all three _boys stalked down the hall, side-by-side; maybe even including Michael Saratoga, Vanessa's boyfriend! Foursome!

Serena rolled her eyes at him, understanding the scene very well… She wasn't into 'asshole'.

"Hey, uh… Serena?" Collin caught up to his sister, breathless. Standing next to each other, it was an odd sight – Serena with her fishnets, leather skirt and black lace, and Collin modeling shorts, a plain shirt and sandals. But they were very close… just not in public, where his friends could catch sight of it.

She cocked her head. "What is it?" she asked, indifferent.

He rubbed the back of his head, slightly hesitant as he spoke. "You have Jimena with you in History, right?" He didn't wait for an answer. "Well, I was wondering… Is she… _close_… to Veto, her boyfriend?"

Serena blinked several times, perplexed. "Yeah, I think… She talks about him a lot… Why do _you _want to know?"

He shook his head as if it were meaningless. "Ahhhh, no reason, just… _researching_."

An awkward silence came forth as Collin shifted his feet uneasily, while Serena stared at the floor, knowing very well what it is that her brother truly wanted – he had a crush on, dare she think it… _Jimena_.

"So, I guess I'll see you at home," Collin spoke up, glancing once at her before walking off toward his friends. Serena sighed and shook her head, exasperated. Why, oh why, did her brother treat her so? Her emerald eyes found her own attire, and she sighed once more, defeated… Because she was 'different'. Instead of wallowing in defeat, she started walking toward her fifth period class, eager to escape the herd of students.

"She… is… hot," Jerome commented, his fingers spreading through his spiked hair as he watched her from the shadows near the boy's bathroom. He ducked back, however, when she cast a glance in his direction, an eyebrow cocked. _Dammit!_, he thought… She always seemed to know?

"You're an idiot," Michael Saratoga murmured, shaking his head at his friend and fellow water polo teammate – because every girl knows how 'sexy' water polo is…

Jerome frowned. "How so?"

Michael pointed in Serena's direction as she retreated, and then toward the entire campus. "The _entire _school can see you… Can't you see the ten girls already watching _you _and _me_?"

Jerome jerked up, his body erect (and something else) as he studied the group of girls, giggling and flirting with their eyes. He turned to Michael, a grim look on his face. "Yeah, but they aren't anywhere near _Serena Killingsworth_."

"Serena?" Michael raised an eyebrow, amused. "You can have any girl and yet… you choose _her _to stalk?"

Jerome glowered. "_Stalk_? No… I'm just," He put on a thoughtful expression. "… _Admiring_."

"Right…" That was all Michael could say before he changed the subject, going for Vanessa rather than Serena. However, Jerome merely nodded at his words, his mind obviously far, far… far… away – as usual.

-

"Once again, Serena and Vanessa both aced the test," Ms. Craven, the history teacher commented, giving both girls cordial smiles as she shuffled through the stack of testes, before handing them to Jimena to pass out, who frowned.

"Woo-hoo," Vanessa muttered dryly, earning a laugh from Catty. Tianna shot Catty a warning look, as if to say, "Why the hell are you laughing at_ her_? Stop."

Vanessa simply shrugged, and proceeded to chew the end of her pencil, an unhealthy habit of hers – it calmed her nerves. Serena flushed tomato red, although she was used to the frequent amount of times that Ms. Craven had pointed her and Vanessa out among the student body – Hey, they were smart…

"How'd you get such a good grade?" Catty demanded, her eyes narrowed at her own paper – F, of course. Catty wasn't prone to the word 'study'.

Vanessa shot her an appreciative smile. "It's not hard – you study and remember."

"Study?" Catty looked appalled. "What does _that _mean?" She threw her head back and gave a slight laugh, Vanessa joining in. Tianna stared at them sourly, her fists clenched.

"Wait to go, Serena," Jerome cheered under his breath, staring at Serena; he sat _across _from her due to the weird seating arrangement that Ms. Craven had placed in her room. But not even this stopped him.

A crooked smile flashed on her face as she peered at him from over the book she was reading; _He totally likes me_, she thought. Oh, joy… another guy to stare at her – first Zahi, now him…?

"Fantastic," she whispered aloud, seemingly tired.

"What is?" he asked curiously. _Idiot…_, she thought. He was way too into, well – everything about her! He wanted to know what she was thinking, what she liked, what movies she enjoyed, which ones she didn't; it was every single freakin' day! Instead of giving him the genuinely false smile she usually did, she sniffed, and began picking at her nails, agitated.

Jerome's face fell, and as he stuck his paper in his back pack, he pouted silently. _She isn't responding_, he though worriedly. Sure, he could have _any _girl he wanted, but Serena was… unique. She was dark, poetic, and deep – traits most girls lacked. And she had the most dazzling, sunshine smile a girl could muster – a thousand times better than Tianna's!

"Now, does anyone have a question about the test?" Ms. Craven asked, leaning against her finely polished oak desk. Anyone could see the wisdom she held in her azure orbs, or how beautiful she was for her elderly age – her skin, instead of withered and cracked, was creamy and smooth. And her style of clothing was elegant, not dull. That is why most students loved her – well, Serena, Vanessa, Jimena, Catty, and Tianna, that is… Others such as Karyl, Tymmie, or Cassandra despised her for her sweet, nurturing attitude; it made them terribly uncomfortable.

Catty raised her hand, but didn't bother to wait. "Um, yeah – what's the answer to number four?"

"D," Ms. Craven replied, a test in hand.

Several creases formed in Catty's forehead as she stared at her paper, a flicker of shock flashing through her brown eyes. "Oh…"

Tianna laughed loudly. "Ha! _You're_ answer, Catty, is so… My, god… It's so obvious that it was _wrong_!"

"Now, now," Ms. Carven began to chastise Tianna, who could be rather unemotional sometimes. "Catty tried her best, but apparently, that wasn't enough; but sometimes, Tianna, even _trying _is a great thing in the academic world…"

Tianna whispered jokingly, "Now she's a philosophizer", to Catty. But anyone could see the comprehension swimming through her chocolate-colored eyes; that's why Catty didn't bother to scold her. They loved Ms. Craven – like a mother.

"Hey, kids," Ms. Craven started, her voice cheerful. "Now that that hard test is done with and passed back… Let's talk about normal stuff, yeah? So, did anyone see any good movies? I saw **_300_**; although I'm not a 'big' fan of the Spartans… I prefer the Athenians."

"Cool! Well I saw **_Music and Lyrics_**!" Catty beamed, bouncing on her seat. "And also-"

"_I _saw **_The Devil Wears Prada_**," Vanessa interrupted. "And it was-"

"That has been out for ages," Tianna pointed out, rolling her eyes.

Vanessa glared. "So? I rented it, geez…"

Serena –along with the rest of the class- watched on with curiosity and amusement. This was the type of class you loved to go to during your school year; it was fun, and it kept you awake – you don't see those classes too often. It was even greater when a cat fight took place daily…

"Now girls," Jimena cut in with false modesty. "Let's play nice… if you're gonna have a cat fight, then at least allow me to get prepared." She kicked her legs up and over her desk and slumped back, her hands smoothed behind her head. Everyone, excluding Tianna and Vanessa, laughed boomingly. Not one of the five girls would ever get along – it seemed only Catty and Tianna, and (secretly) Vanessa and Catty. Jimena completely ignored Serena, not that that was odd in any way…

Ms. Craven shook her head at the girls. "You should really learn to get along… Now, that's the end of 'normal stuff' – on to history!" She clapped her hands together in enthusiasm, but the room of students groaned.

-

"So…," Vanessa mused, twirling a lock of her shimmering hair as she stood next to Cassandra, Yvonne, and Kelly in front of her convertible, glistening red mustang. "I was thinkin' of having a party at my mansion in a week or two… Do you guys think it should be a dress-up, Halloween party or just a simple one with loud music?"

Kelly shrugged. "Eh… Maybe just 'simple' – remember the last dress-up party we had?"

Each girl shivered, memories of the party flashing through their heads. It was almost ridiculous – the amount of whorish princesses and faeries that had come to the party, and the glass that gad been shattered, and the one girl, who had been molested but didn't remember one minute of it… There was no way Vanessa was going to go through that again – it was because not one person who committed a 'vile act' was able to be identified… Most were wearing masks, and blended in easily, or had face paint.

"No, way," Yvonne, Cassandra, and Vanessa said in unison.

Just then, Serena Killingsworth passed by, her messenger bag flapping against her side. Their eyes lingered on her before she finally disappeared behind the corner, most likely pretending that they weren't watching her.

"She's so weird," Cassandra snarled venomously, her voice like acid. "Who dresses like that?"

Vanessa bit her lower lip. "Well, she's not _that _bad."

"Who can be worse than her?" Cassandra asked, incredulously, her eyebrows raised high.

Yvonne snorted. "Morgan Pa-"

"What are you saying about me?" a shrill, high voice demanded. The four girls whirled around, irritated but all knowing very well who it was; Morgan Page. She wore a low cut, clinging red dress and gold boots that clicked against the asphalt as she marched over to them.

Vanessa backed up, her hands raised in defense. "Whoa! Calm down, girl!"

"Calm down?!" she thundered, "How can I calm down when you're gossiping about me?!"

Kelly laughed bitterly. "_Gossiping about_ _you? _Don't make me laugh! Why would we even bother?"

"Because you're jealous!" she shouted, eyes narrowed. Her face had flushed with pure hatred and fury, and her knuckles had gone white due to her tightly clenched fist. But the word "jealous" made the girls laugh.

Morgan growled. "_What _could possibly be funny?"

"There is no way anyone would be jealous of _you_!" Yvonne laughed, sending Morgan a rueful grin. "You're bossy, annoying, shallow-"

"And you're a whore," Cassandra added, enjoying the insulting game.

Morgan crossed her arms, eyes savage. "How am I a whore?"

"Oh, uh, I don't know? Maybe because you went after Jerome, Collin, Stanton, Zahi, and Michael, even though he's going out with Vanessa! And guess what? None of them like you!" Kelly yelled, breathless.

"Well, Collin-"

"In your dreams," Yvonne lashed out, immensely loving the torment and humiliation she and the other girls were causing Morgan, who was on the verge of having a mental breakdown; only Vanessa, who watched Morgan with pity, seemed to be hesitant of the insults and bitchyness.

Morgan, a tear streaming down her cheek, let out a loud _Hmp!_ and stormed off, utterly bemused and saddened. All the girls except for Vanessa laughed at her retreating back.

"Bitch," Cassandra hissed.

"More like the other way around," Vanessa whispered harshly.

"What was that?"

"Nothing," Vanessa snapped.

-

Serena walked down the street, her back hunched as she let out another exhausted sigh. Her hand clamped on the side of her jacket as she pressed it tighter around her cold form. A slight breeze bellowed around her, swirling through her hair, causing burgundy curls to float in the air for a few seconds. Her heavy boots thudded against the concrete and another sigh flowed through her strawberry-colored lips.

"Hi, Serena," a breathless voice halted her.

Turning around, she saw Zahi approaching her, a black scarf wrapped around his neck. He wasn't so bad; he usually helped her out and was quite genuine compared to most other boys at school. However, he acted as if he were her 'hero' – her 'superman'. Would that make her the Lois Lane? She scowled, preferring to be the Lana Lang to him – unrequited love.

"Hey," she greeted, nodding once at him. "How's it goin'?"

He grinned, showing off perfect teeth. "I'm great! How 'bout you, Serena?"

She had to admit, his soft, silky accent was charming. However, he wasn't going to win her over with a musical accent and a sparkly smile. "Oh, I'm fine", she replied. _Although I have **you **and Jerome following me – other than that, oh, I'm fantastic!_, she thought.

"Well, that's good… Do you mind if I walk with you the rest of the way?"

"No, I don't mind," she responded, not wanting to be rude.

Before they could take a step, someone stopped them.

"She obviously is annoyed by you, _Zahi_…" Serena and Zahi whirled around, and of course, they came sight of Stanton, his hands in his pocket. Tymmie, Karyl, and Murray lingered behind, smirking. Serena's eyebrows knotted together… Why were they with _him_, and not Jimena? She shook off – there were more pressing matters at hand. Everyone knew how much Stanton and Zahi loathed each other; no one was actually sure _why_, though… Some past fight, perhaps…?

"She seems fine to me," Zahi growled, eyes narrowed.

Serena did _not _want to be caught in the middle of a fight. With a heavy sigh, she took a short step between Zahi and Stanton, a fake smile plastered on her glowing face.

"Now boys," she started. "Let's act like mature adults, now… Please?"

Stanton cocked an eyebrow at her… He was among the students who thought of her as weird and insignificant.

"I really don't need to listen to you," he said matter-of-factly.

_Jerk_, Serena thought angrily, her lips shut tightly.

Zahi came to her aid, much to her annoyance. "You could be more of a gentleman, _Stan-Stan_, and not such a typical American teenage boy."

"Stan-Stan?" It was Murray who spoke up, a heavy laugh escaping his mouth.

Stanton sent him a warning glance, then turned back to Zahi, smirking, of course. "A real gentleman wouldn't follow girls around," he retorted, and Serena had to agree with him on that part. But then again…

"Okay, shut up," she broke in, glaring dangerously. "Now, I'd like to go home…" Now to Zahi. "With or without you 'guidance'. But I really can't deal with this crap right now, so… _Ta-ta_!" And with that, she turned on her heel and stalked off, leaving behind an astonished yet seemingly impressed Stanton and a pale Zahi.

"What? Are you heartbroken?" Stanton eyed Zahi strangely. When the French-Arabian didn't respond, he groaned impatiently. "Well, I guess I know the answer…"

_What's so special about her?_, Stanton wondered.

-

Jimena coughed and hacked as the cigarette's smoke invaded her nose, and the bitter taste of it folded on her tongue. She and Veto were leaning against a tagged up wall of a liquor store, smoking absently on cigarettes and drinking from glasses of half-empty bottles of alcohol. Luckily, Veto knew the guy who owned the liquor store, so they didn't have to steal.

"I heard you almost started a fight between two bitches?" he brought up, grinning at her.

She scoffed. "I was only joking… But it would have been good to see a good old girl fight."

"I wonder where Karyl, Tymmie, and Murray are," Veto pointed out, gesturing to the empty spots near them.

Jimena shrugged. "Who cares? They're pretty annoying, anyway," she added.

"Yeah, I guess you're right… Except for that one time, remember? They pulled on black masks and pretended to jack the store of its money – with water guns! Man, Pedro was so scared!" He threw back his head and laughed. However, he jerked slightly and began choking for the briefest second.

"Idiot," she mumbled, but her lips curled into a bright smile. She loved Veto, with all her heart, and he was the only one who could ever understand her, and truly love her back – without being terrified. Without him, she wasn't sure what she'd do…

"Hey, how 'bout I go steal that little girl's taffy apple?" he offered in a hushed voice. She followed his pointed finger to a young girl skipping down the sidewalk, her braids bouncing up and down. "A sweet for you," he added. (AN: I HAD to add this)

"Man, what is she doing on this side of town?" Jimena muttered.

Veto nudged her. "Yeah? It'd be so easy."

Jimena stared at the young girl, but shook her head, frowning disgustingly. "No… She's innocent. I don't think it's right to scar her for life when she's still so pure and happy – let her enjoy life, not be scared of it…"

Veto snorted. "Enjoy life? What's there to enjoy about life…?"

She smirked, and turned toward him, her arms folded across her chest. "Me…"

"Oh, yeah…" His eyes wondered to meet her's, and he grinned once more. "You _are _my life… I don't know what I'd do without you…"

"Same here," she sighed, pressing her head against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her into a tight embrace. She wished each day was like this – with Veto, happy and content.

* * *

Was that strange? Well, I'm having fun writing it! More drama ahead, though! Just to let you know, the girls will become friends. But that's not the main point – but did any of you catch the DOTM hints that were in there? Some are actually 'main plots' from the books. Cough –Night Shade- Cough! Hehe… Believe it or not, but this story will get serious!... Sometimes

Oh, and did ya like the taffy apple scene? Man, those things are addicting… Lol.


	2. SCANDALIZE

**High School Parliament**

**:: SUMMARY ::**

Join the DOTM, the Followers, and every other character imaginable as they struggle through high school and its many clichés, gossip stories, heartbreaks, crushes, pranks, hook-ups, and secrets.

**:: AUTHOR'S NOTE ::**

Yeah, one review! Yes, **Nymbis**, Lambert will be included. In fact, he is a part of one of the 'sub plots' of the story… There are many smaller plots that will go in with the main plot, which is Vanessa's party.

And I can't believe how much I wrote this chapter and last! I mean, I just couldn't stop writing… It was crazy (for me, at least)!

**:: CHAPTER SONG(S) ::**

Bad Reputation – Joan Jett (Jimena)

Where'd You Go – Fort Minor (Serena and Collin)

* * *

**Chapter Two**

SCANDALIZE

"This is going to be an awesome party, Vanessa!" her mother cheered, her blonde hair waving back and forth. However, her face suddenly went stern and serious as she eyed Vanessa closely. "But remember, NO alcohol or drugs. And NO sex! You teens now-a-days are so irresponsible."

Vanessa cocked her head to the side and smiled warmly. "_Me? Irresponsible? Never_…"

Behind her, Cassandra, Yvonne, and Kelly giggled. Vanessa's mother rolled her eyes and walked off with a wave of her hand. Once she had disappeared out of the kitchen, Vanessa immediately darted toward the calendar, grabbing a marker on the way.

"What are you doing?" Yvonne asked curiously.

Vanessa licked her lower lip and began scrawling words across the flower calendar. "… I'm _planning_ and _dating_," she answered.

"Ohhhhh…," the three girls said together.

"This party is going to be BIG," Vanessa continued, determined. "We're going to have lots of food, there's going to be hardcore music, and maybe I'll hire some singer or band; maybe-"

"The Pussycat Dolls!" Kelly chimed

"Eminem!"

"Blink 182!"

"Gree-"

"No, not any of those guys," Vanessa hissed, halting the girls. They each stepped closer, eager to look. After Vanessa finished writing, she stepped back and allowed the girl to read. Once they each read it, another, "Ohhhhh", erupted through the kitchen.

Yvonne, however, arched an eyebrow. "The All-American Rejects?"

"Yeah!" she cried out. She then glared at Yvonne, eyes blazing. "Got a problem?"

"No, no, no!" Yvonne backed away, smiling innocently.

Vanessa smiled, and turned back to calendar, writing again. "And we'll get fireworks…"

"What is this? The Fourth of July?" Cassandra raised an eyebrow, her hands on her hips.

"… Better…"

Kelly chewed on the inside of her cheek, and decided to speak up. "What are the chances of this party being a total suck-fest?"

Vanessa laughed, "Like the Cubs winning a world series!"

-

Serena and Collin both cast sideways glances at their father, worry leaking in their eyes. Ever since their mother had abandoned them, things have gone completely haywire with him – the constant late nights arriving home, never once missing a day of work, even if he had the flu or any other sickness… Home reminded him of… _her_.

_This is quite depressing_, Serena thought, grimacing all the while.

"Um, dad?" Collin piped up, "Could you pass the salad?"

Their dad barely acknowledged him – his blank eyes slowly rose from their fixation on his plate, and traveled to Collin, who waited, holding in his breath. Nodding once, their father grasped the bowl of green leaves and sliced fruit, and handed it to him.

"Thank you," Serena said for Collin, her voice barely audible. Their father did not respond as usual; he seemed lifeless… on the inside, that is. Never once has he spoken above whisper, and his suits aren't as finely pressed, but wrinkled, and dark circles reside under his bleak eyes. This was definitely _not _their father… not one bit.

"… Dad?" Serena spoke up, almost a whisper, "I'm finished, so I'm going to go head up to… my… room…" Her voice trailed off as she watched him, stiff and unmoving, even as she spoke. With a heavy sigh, she stood up, plate in hand, and walked over to the sink. After scraping off bits of food, she let the plate fall into the sink with a shrill _Cling!_, and started toward her bedroom. On the way, she gave her brother an encouraging smile, knowing that it would be more depressing for him now that she was gone.

Once in her bedroom, she threw herself on her bed and clung tightly to her pillow, imagining a time when their mother was home and she, Serena, Collin, and their dad were all laughing and chatting about whatever… That time would never come back.

She still wondered _why her _mother had left…

Was it because they –Her, Collin, and their father- were too boring, or too hard to maintain living with?

Did her father do something that caused her mother's abrupt departure? Maybe he cheated on her? Or maybe… Serena felt tears press in the corners of her eyes…

Maybe her mother was unfaithful to her father?

"…Stupid," Serena whispered harshly… If her mother had cheated… then maybe she had eloped and ran off with that guy? The very idea made Serena's stomach churn.

But that feeling in her stomach wasn't as bad as what she felt early that day, when she had… _stumbled _upon something… something that was surely _not _what she wanted to see… it was worse when he threatened her, but luckily, she had _none _of his classes, and it was even better when she was able to escape – running out at the last second before…

She shuddered, wondering what he would have done to her if… he had grabbed her on time…

She can't even tell anyone! The idea of what he would do if he wanted revenge was even worse! Way, way, way worse…

-

"Where have you guys been?" Jimena demanded as Karyl, Tymmie, and Murray approached her and Veto. The three boys merely shrugged and continued to stare at her and Veto, no emotion inside their dark yet alluring eyes.

She growled. "Are you guys becomin' traitors…?"

Tymmie's eyes widened and he held up his hands. "No, of course not, Jimena!" he protested, "Why the hell would you think that?!"

"Well, you decide to show up three hours late," she shot back.

"We have lives," Murray snarled, his hands tucked in his pockets. From behind Jimena, Veto's muffled laugh could be heard, and Jimena couldn't help but crack a tiny smile, sheer amusement dancing in her eyes.

"_Lives_…?"

Karyl's eye twitched. "Yeah, _lives_… What's so funny? You think we don't have our own lives?"

"Well, for one," Jimena started, "I _own _your lives… You guys wouldn't have badass reputations if it weren't for me and Veto. I mean, we practically created you!"

"Fuck you," Tymmie seethed, his lips curled into a ferocious growl.

"You wish," she snapped angrily. They stood, glaring at each other.

"Ladies, ladies," Veto interrupted, sending Tymmie a furious glare. "Let's act like adults, shall we?"

Tymmie gave him a disbelieving look. "_She_ started it! Her and her pissy attitude!"

"Pissy attitude," Jimena scoffed, and Tymmie's eyes widened, his face blatantly saying, "See?"

Murray and Karyl stared at the duo, eyes excited. When Jimena and Tymmie fought, –which was A LOT!- it was more thrilling than a bull fight or a gang war; it got your blood pumping!

"Soooo," Karyl cut in, stepping in between a furious Jimena and Tymmie. "Can we get movin'? I'm bored…"

Murray nudged him with his elbow. "As Jack Sparrow would say – not the opportune moment, Karyl…"

Karyl cocked an eyebrow, but his face fell when he felt and saw the heated gazes of Jimena and Tymmie, both burning holes in his head with their piercing eyes. He stepped back, frightened.

"No need to get bitchy about it," he grumbled, black-eyeing at the ground.

-

Tianna darted from side-to-side, dodging legs kicking out and trying to steal the ball away. She didn't look down at the ball – _good_ players never did that. Catty ran on her right, across the field. She was frantically waving her arms around.

"I'm open, I'm open!" she hollered, but Tianna did not oblige.

Catty scowled, her heart sinking. But I'm open…, she thought, sadly.

"If you don't pass the ball," Catty threatened, shouting now, "then you're a GIANT BALL HOG!"

Those words made Tianna tear her gaze away from where she was heading and toward Catty, a disbelieving look on her face as she kicked the soccer ball toward Catty. Smiling immensely, Catty charged up the grassy field, the ball right in front of her.

"Ball hog," Tianna scoffed, watching Catty while she ran. "I am NOT a ball hog…"

"Keep telling yourself that," Derek, her boyfriend joked from the boy's team that was practicing near the girls; there was a slight edge of truth to his words that he could barely conceal. To his relief, Tianna smiled – no fighting match for them tonight! No sir… Not after last time…

He's so cute, Tianna thought, watching as he bounded down the opposite field, his flaming red hair blowing in the wind… It was like the shot from a movie… except for she wasn't some hopeless, loner girl who no one paid any attention to at all and the guy she wanted was dating some horny, cheating, cliché, oddly beautiful girl with blonde hair… And blue eyes…

Tianna, her eyes suddenly suspicious, watched Derek, images of Vanessa flashing across her mind.

"Tianna!"

He would never cheat on her… would he?

"Tianna!"

Sure, Vanessa had _Michael Saratoga_, the reincarnation of a Greek god… But what's there to stop _her_? Tianna may not have liked her, but it was for a good reason…

"_Tianna_!"

Tianna could see past that genuine smile, those innocent, wide blue eyes, and that perfect figure… She could see the slut that lurked deep with Vanessa; _it_ wouldn't hesitate to steal someone's man. I would _never_ steal someone's guy, Tianna thought, confident in herself.

"TIANNA! WATCH OUT!"

She had no time to dodge as a ball came smashing into her… well… breasts, was the technical term. A searing pain shot through her 'fragile' chest area, and her hands automatically cupped each breast, her face flashing red.

"OUUCCCHHHHHHHH!" she cried out, causing the entire girl's soccer team, boy's soccer team, and soccer staff to stare in her direction.

"That hurt _my _boobs," Catty muttered as she ran toward her friend, ready to apologize… After all, she _was _the one who kicked the ball, thinking Tianna was paying attention…

The soccer teams had proceeded playing, but Catty still stood next to her friend, unsure of what to do. Should I… _sooth _her…, Catty couldn't even finish the thought as she cringed at the image of doing… _that_.

"Are you okay?" she asked Tianna.

Tianna, taking in deep breaths, finally nodded. "I-I think so… Man, that hurt!" Her face turned stern and serious. "Who the hell kicked that soccer ball?! I am gonna kick their ass! And - Catty? Where are you?"

She whirled around, but indeed… Her brunette friend had run off…

-

Stanton stalked down the empty halls of school, ready to speak with Mr. Malmaris… He wanted to talk to Stanton about something, probably something he wanted to be taken care of, as usual. But Stanton _did _owe him. If it weren't for Mr. Malmaris, he'd never be able to persuade Principal Xorta, or would have known the principal so… _closely_. Principal Xorta never really 'liked' Stanton at all… Until Mr. Malmaris spoke with him person, saying how, "great a person Stanton is…"

However, Mr. Malmaris despised Stanton also. That is, until… _That day_…

The very memory of it made Stanton shiver…

Flashback Time!

_Stanton strutted toward Mr. Malmaris' world history class – and NO, he did NOT walk… He never "walked". That would not doubt bring down his 'sexy, slow-motion' walk that made the girl fawn over him even more… No, Stanton most certainly did NOT walk…_

"_We all know how much you like to think about yourself," Zahi mocked, smirking at Stanton as he walked by._

_**Damn it!**, Stanton thought… Zahi always seemed to know what he was thinking about. Aw, when enemies are able to get inside your head… Wait… That wasn't a good thing, was it?_

_Turning, Stanton was already next to Mr. Malmaris' classroom door – students weren't aloud in during Snack (But hell, since when did he listen to rules?) and he usually wasn't there; the last kid who went in wasn't at school anymore… Not even his friends know what happened to him. The thought alone made a grin stretch across Stanton's face. _

_Gingerly, he turned the doorknob and opened it, not prepared to see… **it**. His mouth literally hit the floor as he gaped at the scene before him. Mr. Malmaris was-_

"What are you doing here?" someone commanded in a harsh, cold voice, snapping Stanton out of his flash back (Because _everyone _has tose all the time)… He turned his gaze up – Mr. Malmaris was standing near his door, glaring at him. Not unusual…

"You asked me to come by?" Stanton replied, slightly bored.

The angry glare vanished and was replaced by a warm, yet one-hundred percent fake smile. "Oh, right… Well, come in…" Stanton realized that he had approached Mr. Malmaris' classroom, and quickly followed in after Mr. Malmaris…

"Uh, what do you want with me?" Stanton asked, waiting.

Mr. Malmaris sat down on his seat and crossed his legs… evilly… yeah, we'll go with that…

"Could you help me with a certain… student?" he asked.

Stanton arched an eyebrow. "Student…? How-"

"She sort of found out… You know…"

Stanton nodded knowingly. "Yeah… I know…" Unfortunately, he thought – another shiver running down his spine.

"But _how _exactly do you want me to help?" he continued, still perplexed.

Mr. Malmaris smirked. "I have a few ideas… And I already have another kid for this 'job'… I trust him, enough…"

"… Before you get started, who is it that I'm 'taking care of'?" Stanton asked curiously.

Mr. Malmaris shrugged. "I don't know… I think her name's Serena Killins or Worth…" He waved it off dismissively.

"Killingsworth," Stanton finished, nodding in correction.

"She certainly is..."

"_What?_"

"Nothin'…"

-

Ms. Craven crossed her legs and proceeded to sip green tea, the flavor being savored in her mouth. Gingerly, she set the cup back on her dining room table and continued grading worksheet homework. After placing a sheet on the 'graded stack', her eyes traveled to see who she would be grading next – Jimena Castillo.

The thought of Jimena, her smug smile, and tough demeanor made Ms. Craven think of the other four girls – Serena, Vanessa, Tianna, and Catty. Watching them in class, and seeing how they barely interacted with one another was strange to her… Although she knew they'd never admit it, but all five girls were oddly… the same.

They each held a sense of uniqueness to them that separated them from the rest of the student body; it was their goddess-like beauty, aura of mystery and darkness, and… the fact that they were boy magnets.

"I have an idea," Ms. Craven declared to no one in particular. Maybe, if she placed all five girls in a group (for some class project, maybe), then they'd see for themselves how alike they are. It might pull them together… A wry smile stretched across her face.

Yes, they would see how they weren't so different…

-

Jimena lie on her back, her bed's stained, grey sheets twisting under her rough grip. She breathed heavily as the nightmare she had just had repeated in her head; Veto had been killed… Shot. And she stood over him, helpless as she watched him drowning in the crimson pool that was his own blood.

"Just a dream," she told herself, her forehead beaded with sweat.

Then why did it feel so real…?


	3. SENSUALIZE

**High School Parliament**

**:: SUMMARY ::**

Join the DOTM, the Followers, and every other character imaginable as they struggle through high school and its many clichés, gossip stories, heartbreaks, crushes, pranks, hook-ups, and secrets.

**:: AUTHOUR'S NOTE ::**

Omigod, I read **Sisters of Isis: The Summoning **(book 1), and I loved it so much! And… I think I may enjoy a TINY bit more than DOTM. (::hides behind couch::) Don't hurt me! It had funny parts (that made me laugh A LOT), and some parts weren't as predictable. But I still absolutely love Daughters of the Moon! I swear! DON'T KILL ME!

**:: CHAPTER SONG(S) ::**

Hollaback Girl – Gwen Stefani (Vanessa and Tianna – Lol)

* * *

**Chapter Three**

SENSUALIZE

"Tianna, hurry up!" Catty hollered up the stairs, tapping her foot impatiently and scowling. Finally, Tianna came barreling down the stairs while pulling her hair back into a tight ponytail. Her book bag dragged against the wooden floor, clenched in her tight fist.

Catty marched out of the house, Tianna trailing closely behind.

"Does it really take thirty minutes to get dressed?" Catty asked angrily as they walked down the street to school. Her eyes examined Tianna's attire, and she groaned. "And especially when you're only wearing _that_…?"

"Oh, calm down," Tianna shot back, frowning at her friend. "I woke up late, _okay_? Get off my back."

Catty sighed and nodded. She rubbed against her eyes – they held a sleepy, out-of-it look.

"Sorry; I didn't get _any _sleep last night," she explained, shaking her head. The anger and impatience had left her tired voice.

Tianna cocked her head, smirking. "And why not…?"

"I heard a rumor yesterday in the girl's locker room," Catty replied, an attractive pink color rushing to her cheeks as a crooked, goofy smile stretched slowly across her face.

Tianna grinned wildly. "What was the rumor?" she demanded, bouncing up and down eagerly like a child waiting in a line at Disneyland.

"That…" Catty inhaled, trying to her enthusiasm. "That Chris… wanted to ask me out!"

Tianna squealed, slapping Catty a high five. "That's awesome, Catty!" she cheered, "I mean, it's about high time you got yourself a good, nice boyfriend – I'm tired of watching you stand in the back of Planet Bang, lonely, pathetic and depressed."

"… Um, thanks… I guess…"

Sometimes, Tianna should just keep her mouth shut… very, _very _tightly. Maybe she should duck tap it shut.

-

Serena sauntered down the street in no hurry to arrive to school on time. After all, her first period, Geometry, was easy – however, there was a test today. Sighing heavily, she began to sprint, her boots thudding against the concrete.

"Hello…" She stopped abruptly, not wanting to run into Stanton who appeared in front of her and… wait a second… Stanton?! Serena grimaced and stepped back, unsure.

"What?" she said frostily, eyes narrowed.

He stared at her, surprised by her coldness, but quickly pulled on his usual, casual demeanor and smiled in a friendly manner, although Serena couldn't help but notice the falseness in his smile and the way he seemed to force out al his unexpected friendliness. This made her frown worse.

"I was wondering if I could… walk you to school. You don't mind, do you?" He cocked his head, and Serena noted the unwanted flirting that he was putting into their 'conversation'. Serena knew he was up to something.

_Why yes, I do_. Serena wanted to say this – to make him go away; however, she shrugged and continued down the sidewalk, not daring to glance back and see if he was following or staring. To her frustration, he easily caught up to her and walked next to her.

Stalker, Serena thought bitterly. That's three, now… What a "lucky" girl she must be – to have one asshole stalking her, another one being some protective, heroic figure toward her, and another being overly nice (in the annoying way).

"So… how is your day so far?" Stanton asked, breaking the awkward silence.

Serena rolled her eyes, still unfriendly. "Well, so far, there's this guy, you see? He magically appeared out of nowhere and starting acting like a different person, which seems a little suspicious. I mean, he's nice and modest all of sudden, but he was an egotistical, self-absorbed prick before…"

Stanton blinked, astonished as she walked ahead of him without a glance toward him.

"Oh…" Damn. He couldn't think of anything to say, especially now that she had silenced him with her harsh, insulting words. If Mr. Malmaris hadn't put him up to this, he wouldn't even have to be in this situation.

"Right – 'Oh'", Serena quoted, scoffing afterward.

-

Vanessa drove her car to school, hyper-aware of the envious gazes at her shiny, flaming red convertible. She would have smiled wickedly, but her mind was too preoccupied with the party.

"I wonder who will come?" she asked herself, but then laughed. Everyone, of course.

But how should the inside of her mansion be decorated? Maybe balloons… No, people will just pop them. There will be food, obviously – and drinks; Coke, Root Beer, Pepsi, chips, and all this other crap. People will just sneak in alcohol so there's no use in trying to stop them.

Her mind was so pulled into the party, that she didn't notice that she had passed Cassandra, Yvonne, and Kelly, and accidentally splashed a giant wave of murky, muddy water all over them. They each screamed.

"HOLY SHIT!" Yvonne screamed, running in circles while she tried to dry off her _expensive _dress.

"She didn't even see us!" Kelly whined, wiping water away from her mouth.

"That bitch!" Cassandra snarled. Yes, what good friends they were indeed…

"She thinks she can do whatever she wants," Kelly hissed, drying off her mini skirt.

Cassandra smirked now, her piercing blue eyes dancing with a vindictive, lethal emotion. "Not for long, she won't…"

Cassandra truly was a conniving, backstabbing witch… Even she knew that.

-

Jimena stood next to one of the school's buildings, Veto standing next to her. The nightmare from last night still lingered in the front of her mind, brining irrational fear to her body.

"What's wrong?" Veto had finally sensed her worry and fear, and he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, his eyes concerned. Jimena sighed and turned to Veto, a fake smile on her face.

"Nothing," she assured, "Just a bad dream…"

"A nightmare?" Veto fished, eyeing her carefully.

She shook her head, the smile still intact. "No, a dream… You and I lived _forever_… together…"

"You getting' mushy on me?" he teased, lightening her mood.

"Shut up," she responded, punching in the shoulder jokingly. However, the lie that she had just spoke worried her deeply. Maybe they wouldn't live together for the rest of their lives because… Maybe her nightmare was an omen.

-

Several hours later that day, Mrs. Craven entered her period five classroom and the talking and laughing immediately ceased, and all eyes lingered on the beautiful, wise woman they called their teacher. After gingerly sitting down, she averted her attention to the silent classroom, a bright smile on her face.

"I have a project for you…"

The entire room groaned, making Ms. Craven laugh softly. "No, it's not going to be hard", she reassured, shaking her head. "It will also be a group project-"

"Do we get to choose our group?" Catty instantly asked.

"No, I'm afraid not," Ms. Craven replied, giving Catty an apologetic smile. "I'll be assigned groups…

"But anyway," she continued, "It will be on Mythology-"

"But we're in history class," Vanessa argued.

"No shit," Jimena snorted.

Ms. Craven nodded. "Yes, I'm aware of that, but I just thought we'd take a break. You've all studied Greek mythology, right?"

"Yes," everyone replied in unison.

Ms. Craven clapped her hand together. "Great – that will make this easier… Now it's time to assign groups."

After grabbing a slip of paper from her desk, Ms. Craven placed on her petite, small reading glasses and began to read off the groups. The occasional irritated, unsatisfied sigh or horrified groan echoed through the room. Then, she read the final group.

"Jimena Castillo, Serena Killingsworth, Vanessa Cleveland, Catty Turner, and Tianna Moore…"

There was a long paused, before someone decided to speak up.

"… _What_?"

Ms. Craven peered over the paper to stare at Tianna, an eyebrow arched. Tianna (and the other girls, excluding the unreadable Serena and bored Catty) was in livid disbelief, her eyes wandering to Vanessa, then Jimena, then Serena.

"Is there a problem, Tianna?" Ms. Craven asked, watching Tianna carefully.

"Of course there's a problem!" Tianna snapped, then pointed her finger at Vanessa. "She's in _my _group!"

"Hey!" Vanessa protested, glaring at Tianna. "What's your problem?!"

"_You_!" Tianna hissed. "I hate your guts, and now… I HAVE TO BE NEAR YOU FOR WHAT? A WEEK?!"

"_Me-ow_," Jerome mocked, staring at both girls excitedly along with the rest of the class.

Ms. Craven sighed wearily. "Girls, please settle down-"

"You're not my mother," Tianna snarled, "So I don't have to do what you say…"

After that, a heavy silence reigned over the class… Until:

"… You're a bitch…"

All eye turned to Jimena who sat casually at her desk, smiling innocently.

Ms. Craven sighed once more.

… This was going to be harder than she thought.

-

Geometry: one of Catty's most hated subjects. And worst of all, she had no one in the class with her. There was Morgan and Tianna. Yes, Tianna was her 'best friend' and all… but Tianna was _way _too self-absorbed. It was rather annoying at times. And the fact that she insulted you, whether intentional or not, was even worse! It was as if she had a dark side in her that constantly came to life without her even noticing.

"Okay, we'll be taking a test, today," the geometry teacher, Mr. Hall, announced.

Catty groaned and spoke up – loud enough for the class to hear, also. "Um, I wasn't here yesterday," she lied, grinning. "So do I have to take the test?"

Mr. Hall scoffed. "Catty, I know you were here. You're pretty hard _not _to miss – with you're talking and all…"

"BURN!" Tianna exclaimed boomingly, laughing afterward with the rest of the class.

Catty crossed her arms, a scowl carved on her face. "But… I wasn't here…"

"You were here, but your head wasn't," Tianna teased, glancing at Catty. Catty raised an eyebrow and leaned forward.

"What?"

"She said you were here, but your head wasn't," Kelly repeated, taunting Catty.

"What does-"

"She called you dumbass."

"… I can hear all of you – you know that, right?" Mr. Hall interrupted, grabbing a stack of tests.

Kelly shrugged.

However, once every test was passed out, the room went quiet… Ah, Hell! Most people were still talking, and an oblivious Mr. Hall just kept on sitting on his chair, not bothering to stop them. Catty, however, was completely engrossed in her test, her teeth chewing on the end of her wooden pencil.

Once the test was over, the bell rang, signaling that school had ended.

"Stupid test," Catty mumbled.

Would there ever be a time when she would be an intelligent person?

…Of course not.

Then, slowly, her mind drifted away from school and toward Chris, his smile and body lingering in the front of her mind.

-

As Serena exited her sixth period, someone stopped her. The whole class that had left the room halted and watched, with wide eyes, as Stanton pulled Serena away from everyone else.

"… Am I really seeing this?" one student said, rubbing her eyes as if she were dreaming.

"Why does _she _get all the guys?" a girl pouted childishly, her arms folding across her chest.

"What the hell?!" Jerome growled, glaring at Stanton. He was about to interrupt them, but his friends dragged him away, warning him. With another growl, he marched off.

"What do you want now?" Serena asked, exasperated.

"I was wondering…," he began.

-

"Um, Catty…?"

Catty, who had been placing her books in her locker, whipped around. Her mouth fell open and her heart started to race dramatically. Chris stood before her, smiling lightly. Her books fell from her hand.

"C-Chris," she stuttered, shakily picking the books up, "What d-do you want?"

He raked his fingers through his ruffled hair, and Catty resisted the urge to faint. When was the last time she spoke to a boy? There was Derek, but he was Tianna's love-struck boyfriend and merely a friend to Catty. But this was Chris, for cryin' out loud! With a bold gesture, she flipped her sun-kissed hair away from her eyes and smiled shyly at him, her face flushed. Hey, she was new at this flirting thing…

"I was wondering," he started, eyeing her cautiously, "If you'd like to-"

"Yes?" she urged, her voice high. Embarrassed, she clamped a hand over her mouth and gazed at him. He simply smiled in amusement and continued,

"If you'd like-"

"Catty!"

Groaning, she turned around. Tianna jogged toward her. Oh, please, please go away, Catty pleaded desperately in her mind. When Tianna's eyes met hers, Catty motioned toward Chris. However, Tianna ignored her and grabbed her arm.

"Come on, slow-poke! The soccer has to meet early, remember? Jeez…"

"But-"

"No buts." With that, Tianna dragged her away from a puzzled, frowning Chris. 'Tell me later,' she mouthed to him, and to her happiness, his face lifted and he nodded. After Tianna had dragged her all the way across campus to the girls' locker room, Catty pulled free and glared murderously at her, wanting an explanation.

"What'd you do that for?" she fumed.

Tianna cocked an eyebrow, bewildered. "What? You were going to be la-"

"That was Chris!" Catty interrupted, "and he was going to ask me out."

Tianna's face immediately paled and she glanced behind her as if she were expecting him.

"No, he didn't follow us, moron," Catty snapped.

"…I'm so sorry," Tianna apologized, grasping Catty's arm tightly. Catty, however, jerked it away and crossed her arms stubbornly. Well, at least she knew Chris 'liked' her… but she wish he would have been able to tell her that in person.

"Please, please, please forgive me," Tianna begged, tugging on Catty's sleeve. "I was just in a hurry and I didn't notice him… You know how much I love soccer, so I sort of went insane at the moment."

Catty finally gave up and sighed, still solemn. "Yeah, yeah… I forgive you…"

"Great!" Tianna then nearly threw her into the girl's locker room, "Now get ready or we'll be late."

-

"So what do you think now?" Stanton asked for the millionth time as he walked down the street next to Serena.

"I'm still not sure," she answered, annoyed. Her eyebrow rose as she eyed Stanton. "Why'd you even ask me?"

He smiled. "Why wouldn't I choose you? It's only Vanessa's party… It won't be long."

"That doesn't answer my question… Yesterday, you chose to make me feel inferior to you, and today, you act as if I'm some beautiful goddess that you desperately want as a date. Talk about dramatic changes…"

Stanton grimaced and stared ahead; she was harder to crack than he thought.

-

The cheerleading squad and the soccer team stood glaring at each other, the captains from both girl groups standing just inches from one another rigidly – Vanessa and Tianna. Catty stood stiffly just a few ways behind Tianna, ready to stop them from fighting if the time came.

"Stop making this hard," Vanessa growled, "All we want is space on the field. Now, where's your coach…?"

"This is _our _spot to practice on," Tianna protested, "and the coach left for a few minutes, but as of right now, you speak to me."

Vanessa stepped closer, threateningly. "Uh, no one said you could hog the field!"

"Yeah, well, don't you have the Gym where you're SUPPOSED to practice?" Tianna said, a smug smile on her face.

"The band geeks are there right now," Vanessa shot back.

Tianna also stepped closer. "This is our spot," she repeated in a low voice.

"Okay, this isn't a democracy, it's a cheerocracy."

"And you're being a cheertator, Vanessa!" Tianna shouted.

As they continued arguing, both teams watched on, not bothering to stop them.

"… Ummmmm, why are they quoting **Bring it On**?" Catty asked, glancing at the soccer team; they shrugged.

A girl from the cheerleading squad groaned impatiently. "Come on, you're being babies!" she whined.

"You're being a baby!" Vanessa and Tianna shouted together.

Catty rolled her eyes. "Righhhttttt…."

"I mean, I already have to deal with you on this project, and now I have this shit to deal with?! UH!"

"I can't believe you're being such a bitch!" Vanessa screamed.

"I can't believe you won't stop arguing!"

"I can't believe it's not butter!"

Everyone, including Vanessa and Tianna, turned to stared at Catty, perplexed. She smiled and cautiously stepped away. I was just tryin' to lighten the mood, she thought.


	4. MESMERIZE

**High School Parliament ******

**:: SUMMARY :: **

Join the DOTM, the Followers, and every other character imaginable as they struggle through high school and its many clichés, gossip stories, heartbreaks, crushes, pranks, hook-ups, and secrets.

**:: AUTHOR'S NOTE :: **

I have the character (Vanessa, Serena, Jimena, Catty, Tianna, _and _Cassandra) pictures (of what I _think _they look like) in **my profile**. Go ahead and look!

Vanessa – Evan Rachel Wood (She was in** Thirteen** and **The Upside of Anger**) She REALLY looks like Vanessa in my opinion. But you don't have to think so… I'm just sayin', though.

Jimena – Alicia Sixtos (She was in **Quinceañera**) In my profile, that picture of her makes her seem tough.

Catty – Nikki Reed (**Thirteen **and **Lords of Dogtown**) It's the hair! It is totally the hair!

Tianna – Mandy Moore (**A Walk To Remember, American Dreamz, **and **Because I Said So**) With the picture I have in my profile, you'll think she's very… sexy, I guess. But that's just my opinion! Or you could see Tianna as Megan Fox – go ahead! Look up Megan! And in my profile, her hair is HUGE, so… Yeah.

Serena – Jessica Alba (Only how she looks in** Honey**) I think, with me, that I'm concentrated on Serena's skin. Am I the only one who thinks Serena is described as having perfect, glossy, tan skin?! I think it's because of the book covers.

Cassandra – Alexz Johnson (**Final Destination 3**; and only pictures of her with her maroon/red hair) Pale skin, maroon/red hair! The perfect Cassandra, yay!

**:: CHAPTER SONG(S) ::**

Black Betty – Spider Bait/Ram Jam (Vanessa and Tianna – CAT FIGHT!)

**(Dance Off Music – Hehe! You'll See!) **

Wind It Up – Gwen Stefani (First Song – Cassandra, Yvonne, and Kelly)

Rhythm of the Night – Valeria; Moulin Rouge! Soundtrack (Second song – DOTM)

Crazy In Love – Beyonce ft. Jay-Z (Third Song – Cassandra, Yvonne, and Kelly)

I Will Survive – Gloria Gaynor (Final Song – DOTM) (If you don't know this song then SHAME on you!)

* * *

**Chapter Four **

MESMERIZE

Vanessa and Tianna sat in detention, their arms crossed at they looked away from each other, complete malice in their eyes. The teacher rested her head on her desk, snoring loudly as she slept. Tianna and Vanessa had landed themselves in detention because during their little 'argument', things had gone ugly; as in, punches were thrown and hair was ripped out. It took a shouting coach to break them up… Sad, sad indeed.

"You fight like a girl," Tianna hissed.

"I _am_ a girl," Vanessa stated matter-of-factly with a roll of her blue eyes.

"Really? I just noticed."

"That was a lame comeback."

"Shut up, you stupid little slu-"

"Girls…," the teacher warned, awaking from her sleep. "Be quiet and no fighting."

Both girls huffed and turned away once more. 'I'll hate her forever' Tianna promised, glaring. However, they did have one common ground – it was their stubbornness and inner beauty that made them equal. And one day, these traits would lead them to glory… or failure. If only they knew how to get along without getting into a physical fight – like the one they got into just an hour ago…

_Previous Cat Fight… _

_After their voices died down, both girls glared dangerously at each other, their anger and irrational hatred evident in their darkened eyes. It was Catty who decided to step in, her form in between the two of them. _

_"Can you please calm down, guys? Jeez." Catty rolled her eyes. _

_Tianna scoffed. "She started it!" _

_"Me?!" Vanessa shouted in disbelief, pointing at her own chest. "You're the one who was being stubborn!" _

_"Oh, yeah?! Well-" _

_"SHUT UP! BOTH OF YOU!" Catty screamed, shoving both girls away. _

_Tianna's eyes widened. "Oh, so now you're siding with her?" _

_"I'm not siding with-" _

_"You're choosing her side because she's your friend, is that it?" Vanessa snapped, crossing her arms. Tianna also black eyed Catty, waiting her answer. 'Oh, god, kill me now' Catty pleaded in her head, suppressing a sigh. _

_"Look, guys," She began, holding up her hands, "I'm not siding with anyone – I'm just trying to break up a fight, okay?" _

_Now, Tianna and Vanessa were glowering at Catty, waiting for her next move. Hesitantly, Catty stepped back, allowing the girls space and expecting them to calm their nerves down… That was a mistake. The second she was far enough away, they attacked each other violently. _

_"No, wait, STOP!" Catty pleaded, charging toward them. _

_"FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!" The soccer team and the cheerleading squad chanted this mantra over and over. _

_"What help," Catty snorted, circled quickly around Tianna and Vanessa. They were throwing punches, ripping hair, screaming and insulting each other. This was madness! Catty clamped her hand tightly around Tianna's upper arm and tried to pull her away, but the brown-haired beauty kicked Catty away and tackled Vanessa to the grass. _

_"Stop that right now!" the soccer coach screamed as she ran up to the fighting girls. _

_Both girls steadily began to calm as they were dragged away from each other by their own teams, frowning. _

_"Bitch!" Vanessa shouted as she wiped blood away from her torn lip. _

_"Whore!" Tianna shot back. _

_"Cu-" _

_"Okay, that's enough!" the soccer coach bellowed, glaring at both girls. "And you have detention NOW! Here are your slips," she quickly wrote on two pink slips of paper and shoved them at Tianna and Vanessa, "Now… GO!" _

_Scowling, they stalked off… _

-

Catty hurriedly ran to the door as someone continuously rang the doorbell. She wondered how Vanessa and Tianna were doing in detention. Maybe they were still insulting each other? Her thoughts were interrupted as the shrill sound of the doorbell grew urgent.

"What?" she demanded, irritated as she slammed the door open.

Jimena stood at the door looking completely bored and impatient. She shoved right past Catty and stormed into the room, her eyes scanning the artistic, hippie-like house. Odd paintings plastered the multi-colored walls and beads hung everywhere. A stack of signs were pilled against a wall, the top saying: **Say No To Cutting Down Forests**.

"So what are you? A tree-hugger?" Jimena smirked.

Catty scowled but nodded. "Yeah… what are _you _doing here…?"

"We were going to work on the project early, remember?" Jimena arched and eyebrow. "Because we wanted to get it over with… Now, were the hell is your annoying friend – Tina? Is that here name?"

Catty frowned. "_Tianna_," she corrected, "Is in detention – with Vanessa."

"Really?" Jimena smiled, amused. "What'd they do?"

"Got into a fight…"

Jimena laughed loudly, tears in her eyes. "I know this day would come!"

"It's not funny," Catty grumbled, eyes fixed on the ground.

"Yes it is."

"You're a bitch."

The humor had immediately exited Jimena's eyes as Catty's words hit her. Catty gulped and stepped back, waiting for the inevitable. Maybe Jimena would send a horribly painful punch to her nose? Oh, god… she was a dead girl.

"I-I'm s-s-s-orr-y," Catty stammered as she watched Jimena, who was glaring dangerously. To Catty's astonishment, Jimena's lips curled up into a huge grin and she laughed.

"Oh, I'm just playin' with you, _chica_," Jimena explained, throwing her arm around Catty's shoulder.

Catty sighed, happy.

… That was a close one.

-

Stanton watched Serena as she entered her house, and once she had shut the door, he turned and strode off, eager to arrive at his own house. She was sarcastic, cold, and unfriendly… or at least to him. And all this made him loathe her… he thought… She had quickly left him, saying, "I have somewhere important to go." He wondered if that was lie… Most like it was; to get him away from her. Lying witch…

"I hate her," he told himself, confident, "She's insignificant and useless to me. I am _only _doing this for Mr. Malmaris."

Before he could fully begin to drown in his thoughts, someone interrupted… And it wasn't just _someone_. It was-

"Hey, Stanton!" Cassandra chirped, a bright smile on her face. Startled, he stepped back, eyeing her carefully. She was pretty, he had to admit, but… creepy – creepy in every way possible! He could swear she followed him, also.

"Um, hey… Cassandra." Hurriedly, he began walking again, pretending that she wasn't walking right next to him.

She, unfortunately, spoke up, shattering the peaceful silence. "I saw you with Serena…"

"Yeah."

"Are you going out with her?"

"Maybe."

"… Do you like her…?" Cassandra asked hesitantly, afraid of the answer.

"NO!" Stanton shouted suddenly, sharply turning toward Cassandra. "I don't like her! Not one bit! She's unfriendly and annoyingly sarcastic and too witty! It's annoying and there is NO WAY that I like her!"

"… Um, I was just asking," Cassandra squeaked as she backed away, notably frightened by his unexplainable outburst. Slowly, he relaxed himself as he willed his heart to slow down.

"I'm sorry, Cassandra," he apologized, shaking his head.

-

"When's Cinco de Mayo?" Catty asked, cocking her head.

"… Well, let's see; cinco means five and Mayo means May… Hm… I'm gonna take a wild guess and say… THE FIFTH OF MAY!"

"I know! It's just that someone said March!"

"…"

"_What?_"

"… You're an idiot…" Jimena sneered at Catty before turning her back on the nervous brunette. 'She's so mean' Catty thought, frowning. A few minutes later of awkward silence, the doorbell rang. Catty instantly stood, knocking over the chair in the process, and ran to the door. Opening it, she was relieved to see Tianna and Vanessa… and Serena…

"Um, hi… Vanessa, Serena." She nervously allowed them access, and was startled by Serena's grumpy look. Jimena, noticing Serena's intense scowl, cocked an eyebrow.

"Hey, what's up with you…?"

Serena scoffed. "'Boy' trouble…"

"_You_ have a boyfriend?!" Vanessa exclaimed, staring wide-eyed at Serena.

Serena laughed lightly and shook her head. "No, no… This guy _thinks _I'm his girlfriend."

"Who's the guy?" Tianna asked eagerly.

Serena's face paled. 'No way am I going to tell them' Serena thought.

"Well…?"

"Um, well… JEROME! Yeah – _him_!" She lied, smiling falsely.

"Oh, yeah." Vanessa rolled his eyes. "He's so annoying. I bet you-"

"Enough gossip!" Jimena shouted angrily. "I'm not girly enough for that shit…"

-

"What did the Spartans drink? Wine? Rum?" Vanessa asked, bored out of her mind.

"Where's the rum gone…?!" Catty suddenly shouted, quoting _Pirates of the Caribbean_.

"…Not everyone is as obsessed with Pirates of the Caribbean as you, Catty," Tianna said, rolling her eyes.

Catty crossed her arms. "I am NOT obsessed…"

"… What's Pirates of the Caribbean about?" Jimena asked, suddenly curious.

"…"

"Well _ex-cuse_ me for not knowing many movies… So what's it about?" Jimena tried again. Hey, she lived in a crappy area with barely enough money for three cartons of milk… Who'd expect her to be able to see a thirteen dollar movie?

"Pirates…" Vanessa said.

"Where?"

"In the Caribbean…"

"Ohhhhhh…" For once, Jimena had been the retarded one. And she thought that was Catty's job. "… Who's in it?"

"Johnny Depp…"

"That's it…?"

"He's the only one people care about."

"Oh, I LOVE JOHNNY DEPP!" Catty squealed, clapping her hands together.

"Everyone does."

"Righhttt… I'm gonna take a vote. Who do you like more – Pirates or Sailors?" Jimena asked, looking at each of them. She was deeply bored and wanted to start some 'small talk' with these girls. 'I'm actually starting to like them', she thought, surprised with herself.

"Pirates!" Tianna grinned at Jimena, obviously loving the conversation.

"Pirates," Serena mumbled, engrossed in the project notes.

"Sailors! They're sexy!" Vanessa winked.

"…VAMPIRES!"

Everyone's smiles faded as they stared at Catty once again, shocked by her utter randomness.

Vanessa cleared her throat. "That's not one of the choices."

"It is now!" Catty laughed maniacally.

"… Er…"

Jimena sighed. "How 'bout we go to Planet Bang? Just for a break?"

After a moment of contemplating, they answered. "Okay!" Everyone, even Serena, said in unison. As they stood up and started to exit the kitchen and make their way to the front door, Vanessa stopped them.

"But I have to get some of Catty's clothes!" Vanessa explained.

"Oh, no you don't." Jimena and Tianna both glared at Vanessa.

Vanessa groaned. "Fine…"

-

About thirty minutes later, the five girls had arrived at Planet Bang, the hardcore music vibrating through the walls. They stood in back of the line, waiting impatiently at enter. Compared to the others in line, it appeared that they weren't dressed for partying; all but Vanessa, that is, who always seemed to dress in partying clothes – with her high-heels, micro-mini, and tight-fitting tank top.

"This line is going to take forever," Vanessa complained, bouncing on her feet.

Steadily, the line was moving forward, but not fast enough. Two large, grim looking security guards were standing near the entrance, checking purses and bags, and the lankier of the two would continuously flirt with pretty women.

"Come on." Jimena strutted forward, the four girls trailing closely behind. Stealthily, they snuck past the distracted guards and ran into the club. However, when the large one noticed, a string of threats and protests ignited, but he made no move to catch them.

"That wasn't good idea," Vanessa scolded.

Jimena shrugged. "Got us in, didn't it?" She rolled her eyes at Vanessa's unsure look. "Oh, you need to loosen up! You're like my goody-goody _prima_, Rosa; she would never do this."

"I _am_ loosened up!" Vanessa protested, her eyes narrowing.

"Then let's see how you dance," Jimena challenged.

Nodding slowly, Vanessa, Serena, Catty, and Tianna followed Jimena, each loving the bold, admiring stares from the guys. Without hesitation, Jimena began to sway her hips to the beat, the others mocking her moves.

"We're so awesome!" Catty howled over the booming music.

"Damn straight!"

As they smacked hips, they soon became the center of attention. Cheers and shouts erupted throughout the entire club, and soon, not one person was dancing except for the five girls. It was awesome… until-

"Hey! Vanessa!"

Jimena, Vanessa, Serena, Catty, and Tianna ceased moving, and turned in the direction of the voice.

"Cassandra?" Vanessa stepped forward, perplexed. However, Catty pulled her back.

Cassandra stood in front of them, smirking, with Yvonne and Kelly right behind her. Cassandra had her arms folded across her chest and she stared at Vanessa with such intense… hatred? However, a hint of envy lingered in her piercing azure eyes.

"Wow, you guys are so great!" Cassandra mocked, eyes wide. She took a bold step forward.

Jimena growled and pushed past Vanessa. "What the hell do you want?"

By now, everyone was watching, excited.

"So you think you can dance (LOL)?" Yvonne taunted.

"We know we can dance." Surprisingly, those were Serena's angry words. It was evident that she, along with the other four, could sense something stirring and they were_ not_ going to back down.

"Well see about that," Cassandra replied haughtily. Without hesitation, she stepped forward once more, and with Yvonne and Kelly, they formed a triangle. At that moment, Gwen Stefani's "Wind It Up" burst through the club.

"Dance off!" someone shouted and soon, a circle had formed around both 'groups'. How cliché…

* * *

(Alignment – both groups are facing each other) 

**Serena Catty Tianna **

**Vanessa Jimena **

**Cassandra **

**Yvonne Kelly **

* * *

Cassandra took two steps forward, then twirled around, and halted abruptly, her legs sliding down in a crouching position with her right legs spread out further; Yvonne and Kelly mimicked her every move.

She wound herself up and placing her hands on her hips, she stalked forward as if she were on the cat walk, her hips swaying seductively back and forth. The sea of people cheered her on. Smirking, she let her left leg move back, and twirled around once more. Her arms rose in the air and she laced her fingers together, and swayed them back and forth, her hips moving in sensual yet fast circles.

Panting, Cassandra, Yvonne, and Kelly moved back, allowing the five girls room.

"Follow my moves," Jimena mumbled, and strutted forward. "Rhythm of the Night" began to play, the beat stronger than the last song. It was more Jimena's style of music rather than some pop shit.

"I really hope you don't mess up," Cassandra shouted with mock concern, "Especially since Catty is on your little 'dance team'"

Vanessa hissed, taking her standing position next to Jimena and in front of the other three girls. "Did you just throw a catty remark… at Catty?" She threw back her head and laughed, Catty joining in (much to Cassandra's irritation at not being able to bring Catty down with her verbal insults).

After aligning themselves, the dancing began (they followed Jimena's movement).

Jimena swayed her hips while rotating in a sensual circle – Vanessa, Serena, Catty and Tianna easily followed her strange, exotic moves. When Jimena stopped suddenly, her left hand shot out as if she were reaching for the ground, while the other hand reached up diagonally.

Sliding her legs back in so that she was standing erect, Jimena drew a semicircle with her toe, and then twirled around (in a ballet fashion) with her arm pressed against her chest. She then stepped forward and slid to the right.

Smirking, she placed her hands on her hips.

"That's all you got?" Cassandra snarled, a vicious smile plastered on her face.

Vanessa sighed, exasperated. "Oh, dear…"

Cassandra, after snapping her fingers, formed the 'triangle' once more with Yvonne and Kelly. An even faster song burst through the room – "Crazy In Love". With a wicked grin, Cassandra began, her movement increasing in speed (along with Yvonne and Kelly).

She squatted, and then slowly rose, her "rear" sticking out as she flaunted her body. She kicked her leg in the air, showing off more than necessary. However, it did attract the attention of many of the people, mostly the boys. And after doing a free spin, she wildly swayed her hips from side-to-side, immensely enjoying the attention she was receiving from drooling boys and envious girls.

"Bitch," Tianna grumbled.

Cassandra, boldly, pushed her skirt down, revealing pointy hipbones. Serena and Jimena both gritted their teeth.

"What a whore," Vanessa whispered harshly, eyeing the ecstatic crowd. "She's like a stripper."

She threw her head down and back up, flipping her maroon hair crazily. Seductively, her hands moved up her sides until she was reaching for the heavens; she looked as if she were stretching luxuriously.

Finally, Cassandra, Yvonne and Kelly had stopped, proud of themselves. The herd of people clapped and whistled and cheered. Cassandra's smug smile only grew wider, much to Jimena's anger.

"Come on," Jimena encouraged, glancing at them, "We can still beat her."

"By acting like sluts," Serena mumbled sarcastically.

Jimena snickered. "No, we don't need to do what she did… We can still win."

At precise moment when Jimena, Vanessa, Serena, Catty, and Tianna took position, "I Will Survive" (if you do not know this song, then shame on you! Man, I love the classics!) began to play.

Jimena strutted forward, an idea forming in her mind. She stomped her right foot on the ground and slid to the right, her left foot dragging across the floor. She fell back into the waiting arms of Tianna while Vanessa fell into Serena's. Catty moved forward and stood in front of the girls. She did a quick ballerina spin with her right leg tucked in (luckily, she had taken ballet classes and gymnastics with Tianna).

She stepped back, allowing Jimena and Vanessa to take their previous spots. They took a short jump in the air and landed on their feet, then slashed an X in the air with their right hand.

Jimena, followed by the others, began to strut closer to Cassandra, Yvonne and Kelly, who were forced to back away. Jimena slid to the left, then to the right, then to the left, and then to right once more, a smirk on her face.

They were forcing Cassandra, Yvonne and Kelly to walk backward.

"W-What are you doing?" Yvonne asked hesitantly, her back pressed against a wall (the crowd who had been behind Cassandra and her 'group' moved away). Cassandra eyed Jimena and the other four girls, puzzled.

Jimena threw her right hand out, and wiggled her index finger at Cassandra (who looked utterly bemused). She then started to move and wave her legs chaotically in a way that Vanessa, Serena, Catty and Tianna could _barely _mimic.

"Stop it!" Cassandra commanded as they danced even closer, realization dawning on her. 'They're forcing us back' Cassandra thought, fury stabbing at her chest as she resisted the urge to assault Jimena.

Finally, Jimena was only a few inches away from Cassandra, a smug look on her face.

"We win," she whispered, and only a few seconds later, the crowd had burst out into a fit of cheers and shouts.

Cassandra grimaced, and motioned for Yvonne and Kelly to follow as she made her way through the sea of people (who were all _booing _her).

"We won, we won!" Catty squealed.

Serena smiled lightly as red painted her cheeks.

"Wow," Vanessa breathed, breathing slowly. "This was the best moment ever…"

"Yeah," Tianna agreed, throwing Jimena a thankful smile. "Thanks to our cool leader."

Jimena snorted. "Don't get-"

"Girly on me, WE KNOW!" Serena, Vanessa, Catty and Tianna shouted over the roar of cheers, laughing afterward as if they were the best of friends. Smiling, Jimena walked closer to them, posing goofily as a girl took a picture with her cell phone.

-

As Jimena flopped down on her stained bed, a wave of serenity washed over her. Her grandmother was in the kitchen cooking dinner with the last amount of food left in the cupboards. The phone rang, and Jimena groggily picked it up and held it to her ear.

"Is this Jimena Castillo?" said a firm, professional voice.

"Y-Yes," she sputtered, begging to God that it wasn't the police, again (lol).

"This is Saint Mary's Hospital and we're sorry to inform you, but there's been an accident…"

Her voice trailed off, and Jimena's heart stopped. She could only think of one person.

_Veto_…


	5. REALIZE

**High School Parliament ****  
**

_**Summary…**_

Join the DOTM, the Followers, and every other character imaginable as they struggle through high school and its many clichés, gossip stories, heartbreaks, crushes, pranks, hook-ups, and secrets.

_**Author's Note…**_

Wow. It has been a LONG time since I have updated this story. My apologies. I guess I sort of lost my excitement for this story? Well, I'll try harder to update sooner, as in, not three months later.

_**Chapter Song(s)…**_

My Immortal – Evanescence (Jimena to Veto)

* * *

**Chapter Five**

REALIZE

Catty skipped out of her house, ready for a new day at school. It was the oddest, most unusual thing for her. She was actually… _happy_ to walk to _school_? The words "happy" and "school" in the same train of thought was… frightening! But, she wanted to see Tianna, Vanessa, Serena, and Jimena. She felt as if they were the greatest of friends, and they didn't _realize _it until last night.

"Man that was fun!" Catty cheered aloud, butterflies still floating in her stomach.

"… What was fun?" a smooth, serene voice asked curiously.

Catty could recognize that voice anywhere. Heat rose to her cheeks as she fought the urge to turn and bolt for the door – better to hide in her house than face the 'boy' she's had a crush on for a _long _time.

"C-Chris…," she choked. She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, "What are _you _doing here?"

Chris grinned, showing off perfect teeth, and gestured to the red Cadillac behind him. Catty stared at it, fascinated, and then averted her eyes back to him, perplexed. He laughed, the sound music to her ears.

"I was wondering if you'd like me to drive you to school?" he offered, still smiling.

Catty gazed at him… 'I'm dreaming, I'm dreaming, I'm dreaming, I'm _totally _dreaming' she thought.

"Do you mind?" he pressed, puzzled by her look.

'_DO I MIND_?! Of course I don't mind' Catty continued to think, 'If you asked me out, right now, I'd say-'

"Yes…," Catty breathed dreamily, answering her own thoughts.

His face fell, and he stared at me, probably wondering if she was serious or not. Quickly, she shook her head and tried again. "No, I was just daydreaming!" she reassured, "I don't mind if you take me! No, not one bit! I mean, you have such a cool car. Vintage! Is it a Cadillac? My mother had one when I wasn't even born yet, but then again, I've always wondered if I was adopted, because…" Her voice trailed off.

'Stupid, stupid rambling' Catty cursed herself.

"Sorry about that," she whispered, not daring to look up at him.

"It's okay," he said, and when she gazed up at him, he was smiling amusingly at her.

'Makes me love him even more…' she thought, lost in images of Chris and his dazzling smile.

-

"Hey, Serena," Vanessa whispered to Serena, weary of everyone watching. "I know how we're doing the project together and all… And last night was really, really fun, but…" She stared at Serena, apologetic. "Can we not-"

"Hangout," Serena finished, her eyes not leaving her novel.

Vanessa jerked back. "Yeah, um… Well, goodbye."

Serena nodded once.

As Vanessa walked away, she couldn't help but feel quilt rack her bones. Serena seemed so content with being rejected so openly. 'I'm so selfish' Vanessa thought sadly, not enjoying the new feeling in her heart.

She glanced back at Serena, who was still reading her book. The expression on her glowing, beautiful (even Vanessa had to admit this) face was unreadable; devoid of all emotion.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

'Maybe I should stop be such a coward' Vanessa scolded herself, still guilty.

-

_12:32 A.M. _

"_Where is he?!" Jimena demanded as she burst through the hospital doors, ignoring nurses who were trying –unsuccessfully– to calm her down. Panicked, a doctor led her to a room, and to her horror, she saw him, laying on a bed. White walls surrounded him. _

"_Veto…"_

_No tears formed in her dark eyes. _

_Cautiously, she sauntered to the other side of his bed, her eyes wandering to the monitors. An IV resided on his hand while a tube was clasped on his mouth. She watched him as he slept._

"_What happened?" she asked, turning to the doctor._

_The doctor stared at Veto, pity in his eyes, before he turned his attention back to Jimena. "Paramedics arrived to him a few hours ago… He has been shot in the chest and luckily, we were able to arrive to him soon. It appeared to be a gang…" He glanced at her._

"_Shooting," she finished, solemn. A tearless sob escaped through her lips. "Damn it, Veto!" _

_Slowly, Jimena turned back to the doctor. "Will he…" She gulped. "Live…?"_

_The doctor hesitated, and although it was only a second, Jimena knew the answer._

_Probably not…_

"_Well, we were able to get to him __**soon**__-" He said "soon" not "on time", she noted. "-but he had lost a tremendous amount of blood… We fear there isn't much hope for his survival over a day."_

_She nodded, and asked if he could leave so she could have her privacy. _

_Once the doctor had vanished, she spoke to Veto, confident that he could hear her in his unconscious state. And with her Abuelita's rosary clutched in her tight grasp, she had prayed to every Saint or God she could think of: God, Jesus, Mary, Buddha, Allah, Zeus, Athena, HELL! Even Cleopatra…_

Present - - - - - -

Burning rays of light slipped through her eyelids as Jimena awoke, her body aching. She had fallen asleep with her head resting on the side of his bed, the soft cotton warm against her flushed skin.

"Veto," she whispered, her voice raspy.

Then it happened.

The second his named left her mouth, his heart stopped.

The line went flat as the monitor grew ear-splittingly loud. Jimena let put a dry sob as she stepped back, watching as nurses and doctors desperately began to try and keep his heart beating. She rubbed her arms, eyes trained on Veto's pale form.

_Don't leave me. _

-

"Where's Jimena?" Vanessa asked, glancing at her 'team'. They were in history class working on the project, and their "fearless leader" was not in her seat. Serena, throughout the whole day, felt a growing concern and nervous feeling that she couldn't comprehend. Biting her lower lip, she glanced subconsciously out the wide windows of the classroom – into the grey clouds. Rain was approaching.

Catty laughed under her breath. "Maybe she was too tired after last night." Her eyes then brightened dramatically. "Oh, Vanessa! Did you talk to Cassandra and the other two? Were they mad? Did they even _look_ at you?"

Vanessa giggled. "Yeah, they came up to me and said that they were "Sorry" and were "Just having fun". It was very pathetic." She rolled her eyes and waved her hand dismissively. Catty smirked as images of Cassandra's false explanation to Vanessa filled her mind.

"So, probably by tomorrow," Tianna cut in, "we'll be finished with this thing, right?"

"Most probably," Serena assured, her fingers twiddling with her number two pencil.

"But seriously," Tianna continued, "Where is Jimena…?"

Vanessa shrugged. "Maybe with her sister…" She leaned in toward them, shielding their conversation. "I heard her sister was in the hospital a lot because she has…" Vanessa gulped and whispered, "Aids."

There was an awkward, unsure silence.

"… Your mom has Aids," Catty snickered, using the "Your Mom" joke.

"Catty," Tianna sighed, shaking her head.

Serena rolled her eyes. "Jimena _doesn't have _a sister. She has a brother."

"So her brother has aids?" Vanessa prompted, azure eyes wide. Her cheeks flushed a cherry red. She brushed a strand of blonde hair away from her eyes, and started scrawling notes into her notebook.

Tianna lowered her head. "Is her brother… _gay_?" she whispered.

"Tianna," Catty whispered, her voice a mockery of disappointment. "Do you have no shame?

-

Jimena breathed heavily, her eyes wide as she stared at the ceiling of her tiny bedroom. A flurry of emotions raged in her – sorrow, grief, fury, hopelessness… It all rampaged through her heart. Emptiness carved its way into her chest. Was this really happening? Was this some horrid nightmare that she'd awake from in a few moments?

Was Veto –_her_ Veto– dead?

Just hours ago, the hospital had pronounced him dead.

_This isn't a nightmare_, a voice in her head reminded. _This is reality. He's not coming back – no amount of crying will bring him back. _

Jimena rolled on her side. Fresh tears streamed down flushed cheeks. "I'll wake up," she whispered aloud.

Ridiculous.

"Jimena?"

Sitting up, Jimena watched as her grandmother gingerly stepped into her bedroom, a rosary clinging in her curled fingers. Her eyes were puffy; a flaming red. Sluggishly, her grandmother perched herself next to Jimena.

"I know this is hard," she murmured. Her wrinkled hands smoothed down Jimena's arm. "But you must be strong, _mi hija_. You can weep, you can scream, you can pray… This may not bring back your love, but it certainly will help ease the pain. Don't hold it in."

Jimena rested her head on her grandmother's shoulder. "I'm not keeping anything in," she lied, foolish.

"Stop lying to yourself," her grandmother whispered. Shaking her head, she rose from the bed, and strode out of Jimena's room, her withering face grim. Jimena stared after her, her chest suddenly becoming heavy.

_No crying… You realize crying won't bring him back?_

And that rainy night, she didn't dare shed one tear.


	6. SOCIALIZE

**Chapter Song(s): **

Girlfriend—Avril Lavigne (Cassandra to Stanton)

Hey You—Pink Floyd (Serena & Stanton: Memorial)

Rev. 22:20—Puscifer (Jimena: Murder Intentions)

How To Save A Life—The Fray (Jimena: Church)

**Author's Note:**

Hey, look, I've returned. Wow. That's all I have to write. :) I advise you to read through ALL of Jimena's part, despite the lack of dialogue, because I find the church scene beautiful—the image painted in my head, I mean.

* * *

**6. **SOCIALIZE

The evermore quiet of the group stabbed into Serena. She wanted to tell them, an announcement of solemn news, but when she opened her mouth, it was as though black tar stuck to the inside of her throat, locking words into her mouth. Catty, always one to sense the change in the winds, shifted uncomfortably in her seat. All the other project groups chatted boisterously with one another, glad for the freedom presented to them during the class period.

Finally fed up, Tianna, never one for patience, slammed her pen on the table and eyed Serena sharply. In turn, Serena felt no fear of the dark-haired beauty. Such a hostile gaze wasn't the worst thing she's ever encountered. Momentarily, her mind wandered to past images of… stumbling into Mr. Malmaris's class during lunch… and the intimate scene… Oh, God…

"I know what's wrong with Jimena."

Vanessa leaned forward, intrigued; Catty chewed on her pencil, nervous beyond reason; even Tianna couldn't help but feel her previous impatience dwindling low. Serena gingerly set down her pencil, tucked the loose curls behind her ear, and began, her voice feathery soft from the numbing ache spreading in her chest: "When I called Jimena last night—"

"You have her number?" Tianna intervened, blanching. "She didn't let _any_ of us have it."

Serena cocked an eyebrow, seemingly annoyed by the interruption. "She trusts me, I guess. But, when I called her"—Vanessa and Catty glared haughtily at the beautiful girl who lowered her head, a promise to remain silent—"she said something… well, it's about… Veto… I think he _died_." She felt the chilling cold pass through her; the same painful sensation that had stabbed her the day she realized her mother had upped and left.

"_What?_" Catty inquired. Her mouth dropped open. Her complexion whitened, cheeks drained of color.

Vanessa could only gaze, wide-eyed, at her desk, somewhat trembling from the knowledge. Without meaning to, Tianna grasped the blonde's hand, equally shocked by the information processing slowly in her mind. Minutes of silence stretched on. The meaningless chatter seemed to cease, and the only image left in the room was the four girls leaned toward one another, breathing unevenly.

"I-I can't even…" Vanessa, licking her lips, asked coarsely, "What, _exactly_, did she say, Serena?"

Serena rubbed her arms, still frozen from the overwhelming anguish. "I asked her what was wrong, and she said Veto was gone. So of course I asked, "_Where?_" and all she replied to me was, "_With Mary._" Jimena's Catholic, and I'm sure Mary is the _Virgin Mary_, you know." She threaded her fingers through her head, massaging her scalp, and the memory replayed in her dulled mind.

"_Oh, my, God_," Vanessa breathed.

"Poor Jimena…"

Tianna's grip on Vanessa's hand tightened, and all gazed up to see, with shocked eyes, the redness rimming the beauty's dark orbs; the small cracks slicing into the whiteness of her eyes as burning tears threatened to fall. The once tough woman, a stone-cold fox with a hard-lined frown and never faltering confidence had been reduced to near tears.

Catty gripped her best friend's shoulder in support. Vanessa squeezed her newfound friend's hand. Serena gazed at each of them, unblinking, unable to stand the beautiful image unwinding before her. And tiredly, her eyes flickered to the empty desk beside her, and she could imagine the solemn woman easing down right there, and joining in on their moment of grief and sorrow.

"Class is almost over," Vanessa informed in a meager voice.

"I wish the _day _was over," Tianna murmured as she rubbed her eyelids.

Catty sighed dramatically. "Me, too…"

-

Cassandra flounced down the steps, her red-painted lips curling upward into a savage smile of delight as she spotted Stanton just paces away, speaking quietly with someone just behind the wall. She quickened her step, but the person hidden behind the wall shifted, and several reddish curls bounced into view. Cassandra, halting, gritted her teeth and jumped into the nearest hallway before either could detect her presence.

'_That conniving little bitch, how dare she steal my man?!' _Cassandra screamed scathingly in her mind, heart beating to an irregular tantrum of heated fury and malicious intentions toward the gothic witch formulated in her tactful brain. '_I've been in love with him since the beginning of freshman year, and she thinks she can just come strutting into school and steal every single hot guy?! What… NERVE!_'

She strained to hear, tucking maroon tresses behind her ear as she captured several words.

"—and I'm sure it will go away soon," Stanton finished, deep voice rather melancholy. "If you want, maybe we can go to some fancy restaurant? The _Olive Garden_ or maybe just somewhere like _Johnny Rocket's_?"

Serena, barely audible, responded, "I'd rather just be alone at home."

"That's not going to help very much."

"But I don't want to—"

"We can set up a_ descanso_ for him—"

"How do you know he was murdered?" Serena's tone implied accusation, but also seemed defensive in a way. "Those are used usually for violent murders or something, aren't they? How do you—?"

Stanton interrupted in a hoarse whisper, "_Serena_… He was a _gang _member of Ninth Street… always on the streets, protecting his 'territory', with Jimena… What do you _think_ happened? He slipped in a puddle and broke his neck, maybe?" His sarcastic words silence her momentarily, and the heartfelt moment brought upon a burning hatred within Cassandra's heart.

When her grandmother, whom she had been extremely close to, died, Stanton merely brushed past her without a thought, despite knowing it… and despite the fact that she had been sobbing and pounding her fist against a wall screaming, "_Why, God, why?! Fuck you, too, I can't wait to die and kick your God damn ass, you douche!_"

Serena seemed to sigh. "Yeah, you're right… Maybe we can do that, then—set up a memorial. Jimena will be happy when I show her." A smile formed her voice, and Cassandra gaped with disbelief as the sound of their light footsteps vanished down the hallway. For several prolonged seconds, she stood there, engulfed by bewilderment, before words slipped from her mouth.

"That… _whore_," she seethed, back pressed against the smooth wall as she slid to the ground, a mess. Her insides were hot, the urge to vomit boiling at the back of her throat. Flaming red bubbled on her cheeks, and she puckered her lips into an angry pout. And as she sat there, rubbing her fingers together, the need to plan and plot eased into her brain: first Vanessa, now Serena.

Two people—two women who were in the way of her path of glory and love—needed to be taken down: Vanessa, for her sheer beauty and leadership (it was Cassandra's time to strut through La Brea High as Queen Bee!); Serena, because she was now the obstacle in winning Stanton's heart and the position as his **girlfriend**.

"I am going to be Queen," she whispered, easing to her feet. A breeze whipped down the hall, and her maroon tendrils flapped in the savage wind as she posed, fists clenched at her sides and chin help high. Her voice rose to a dramatic height. "I swear on my grandmother's cold grave that I will win Stanton's love, and I will be the new Queen Bee of La Brea High, my kingdom, my land, my _universe_! Ha, ha, ha, haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa—!"

"God, damn it, Cassandra, shut the _hell_ up!"

She squealed and jumped. Yvonne and Kelly fell down in front of her, having been hiding in the Janitor's closet. The smell of Windex and spoiled milk clung to their skin. Cassandra crossed her arms and arched an eyebrow. "And what, pray tell, are you doing?!"

"We were getting dirt on Serena and Stanton's situation," Kelly informed, smoothing her hand down her pink ruffled skirt, "like you told us, too, remember? Except, apparently, you were, too…" She smirked. "That speech was kind of lame, by the way—"

"Oh, fuck you!"

Yvonne stepped forward, blue orbs penetrating. "So… they're together, aren't they?"

"I'm still not sure," Cassandra breathed, stroking her chin thoughtfully, "but something's definitely _happening _between them."

"It's so cliché!" Kelly groaned.

Yvonne cocked her eyebrow. "What is?"

"Well, you know"—she threw her arms in the air—"cool, hot Mr. Popular Guy falls for super freaky, but unique, instrumental loner girl with a deep, dark secret that threatens her happiness in life… But that's not the only thing! Maybe it's _Mr. Popular Guy_"—Yvonne shook her head, exasperated—"plots to ruin the loner girl's life, but once discovering her inner beauty, he inadvertently falls in love with her, thus winning a happily ever after for the both them as they drive off into the sunset in his super-awesome sport's car during the last dance of the year, the _Spring Fling_."

Kelly, breathing unevenly, worked to gain the proper amount of oxygen, and Yvonne added a meager:

"Yeah, that could it be it. But _which _one?"

"I'd go with the second one," Cassandra answered, sinister intentions piecing together. "But no, he will NOT fall in love with Serena. What super-dark secrets could she have—oh, yeah, NONE! So, he'll humiliate her and crush her, and then he'll come to me. So, I'm going to help him with that—I have a few plans with her, but… Vanessa, too."

"Crush her reputation with nasty rumors?"

Cassandra smirked at Yvonne. "Exactly. She'll lose us, her army, and then we have to get rid of her boyfriend; we could create a scene with her and Hector—you know, that Mexican dude obsessed with her—and then Michael will break up with her. Then, we'll get rid of her position as Captain of the cheerleading squad… It's pure brilliance!"

"Uh… sure."

"And this is only high school," Kelly dreaded under her breath.

-

Vanessa's trembled and quaked in the plastic chair. Several eyes zeroed on her, sympathetic and accusing. Her mother, clad in her bright pink jumpsuit, was perched, cross-legged, in front of the principal and the vice principal. Both stared penetratingly at her: the principal, Mr. Xorta—a man of late age, hawk-eyes, high-cheekbones, and a mean grimace—and vice principal, his wife, Mrs. Triton (she kept her last name, a professional name back in her days as a model); and that modeling showed, for such an age (she was around early forties), she possessed a thin frame, youthful flesh, a heart-shaped face, full lips, and platinum blonde curls that glittered with copper highlights.

"You know why you've been called here, right?"

Vanessa bit her lip and shook her head, whimpering, "No… I don't."

"Don't play dumb," Mr. Xorta sneered, and his black eyes flashed dangerously. "You know what we found."

"I… don't."

"You thought we wouldn't know."

"Know _what_?!"

"You thought you can get past us because we're old, huh, _HUH_?!"

"WHAT DID I DO?!"

"_DON'T RAISE YOUR VOICE TO ME!_"

Mrs. Triton blew a strand of hair away from her eyes, seemingly exhausted by her husband; adding a simple, "Charles, maybe you should just _inform _her of the mess instead of playing good cop, bad cop, because I'm not in the mood to play that role. At least in front of people…" Both mother and daughter exchanged baffled glances, stunned by the couple's small confrontation, the thick tension that suddenly pulsed in the air.

He clenched his teeth, but nodded. "Ms. Cleveland," he said in a casual tone, more level, less severe, "an anonymous student earlier today commented on certain _substances_ hidden within your locker"—Vanessa's mouth opened to form a stunned _O_—"and when your locker had been opened, it revealed two bottles of Jack Daniel's Whiskey"—his wife shifted in her seat, evidently lustful for the alcohol—"and a _tiny baggy_ of weed."

"_WHAT_?!" Vanessa and her mother gasped, bewildered, disbelieving.

"I'd give her that shit for free if she wanted, so she doesn't need to hide it—she doesn't want it! I've already asked her!" Mrs. Cleveland snorted, and folded her arms furiously across her chest, mumbling, "Stupid little skanks, pullin' a prank on _my_ daughter, oh, _hell no_…"

Vanessa leaned forward, cold sweat protruding from her forehead. "It's not mine, I swear. You can take a drug test right now if you want. But—"

"The bottles weren't opened and the bag seemed completely full," Mrs. Triton stated smoothly, head cocked and expression blank, "so we can't do anything severe except for suspend you for a week, and we've also decided that you can no longer hold your position on the cheerleading squad"—both mother and daughter nearly fainted—"and you are recommended to enter special rehab programs for your drug and alcohol problems—"

"Which don't exist." Vanessa huffed. "I've never smoked weed, I'm not a stoner, and I've never gotten drunk, jeez!"

"But… she's captain!" Mrs. Cleveland nearly shrieked, eyes half-mad.

Mr. Xorta merely replied, "Not anymore…"

Vanessa could only pass out.

-

Serena, tugging the coat closer, stuffed the scarf into the buttoned jacket and continued onward. The warm, breezy day had tumbled into defeat, to which the grey clouds rolled in from the north and the sun vanished behind layers of black phantoms. Stanton trudged silently beside her, he having been the one to discover the location of Veto's murder through various connections.

A witness, an aging old woman across the street from the crime scene, explained that, "The young boy had just walking down the street, his hands in his pockets, when this rusty old, black car came barreling down the road. I looked out the window because of the tires screeching, and then I saw the flashing inside the car from the gunshots, and the boy just fell—blood everywhere. Poor, young man… I called the police and gave a description. They found the car but it was abandoned… Oh, poor boy…"

Serena kneeled beside the sidewalk of the scene, skin pressing into prickly weeds. The area was vacant, with small houses, plain streets, and rusted vehicles. This was obviously a poor district. And the yellow tape representing the small patch of cement as a crime scene had been torn, and the white outline of the victim no longer resided on the ground. Her throat swelled as the imagined Veto, spread across the cement, the crimson blood seeping through his clothes and through the soil of the earth, forever chaining a part of him to this earth.

"Here…" Stanton, having been holding the cross—meshed together through pieces of wood—, mounted it into the dirt and grass, twisting slightly, before grasping the flowers from her—a collage of colors—and tying them to the cross. They stepped back, admiring and mourning the memorial: a small white cross, flowers wound together through a silk white ribbon, and the words R.I.P. VETO RODRIGUEZ printed clearly on the wood.

Serena smiled up at Stanton. "Thanks…"

"See, I can be a kind citizen," he joked playfully, lips curving into a crooked smile.

And as they walked back to her house, silent, she asked, "Why are you doing all of this?"

"I'm being a friend," he responded bluntly with a roll of his shoulders. "There's nothing wrong with that."

"What else do you want?"

Stanton, after giving her a puzzled stare, sighed and admitted, "I'll just go ahead and ask you then… Will you go the party with me—Vanessa's, I mean?" The desperation in his voice chimed high. It wasn't any sort of longing for _her_ (no, none at all…), but the shadow of fear clouding his mind. Mr. Malmaris had entrusted the task in _him_, only him, and it had to be done: to woe Serena, to gain her trust and her heart, and then to…

He didn't know what Mr. Malmaris planned after all of that, but a part of him hoped that it wasn't… murder… or kidnapping. No, such an indifferent and levelheaded man wouldn't retort to murderous manners simply to hide a secret like… No, he wouldn't. And Stanton, despite his indifference toward Serena's existence, didn't want her to die: what a waste on her dazzling, bewitching emerald eyes, or her bouncy, silky curls that never once developed frizz, even through wind…

Again, Stanton continued, breaking from the trance, "Please, will you go with me? I do enjoy your company…"

She smiled, her eyes brightening, and as he began to smile, she said smoothly,

"No thank you, but I'm going with Zahi…"

His heart plummeted, his confidence plunging into the darkness of his rejected heart. She continued walking, humming peacefully to herself, while he just stood there, wondering how someone could reject him so apathetically, despite the lengths he had gone to in order to obtain her trust and gain some heartfelt moment—the one that just occurred at the memorial and in the school hallway where he had found her ready to sob. An array of girls flashed before his eyes, neither of which ever did such a thing…

Except for her.

Serena Killingsworth, the poetry-writing Goth that _Zahi_ managed to snag.

His ego was wounded.

It hurt.

A lot.

-

Jimena drove savagely down the street, her car smashing through the rain. The clock on the dashboard flashed 11:06. Clouds tumbled through the sky, shrouding the brightness of the moon and leaving nothing but darkness. Not a single star could be seen blazing in the sky. Rain, heavy and blood-chilling, pounded against the metal. Thunder and lightening chaotically split the sky in two.

Her fingers curled around the steering wheel. Bumps bubbled on the surface of her coppery flesh. She couldn't help but blink rapidly over and over, and shake her head, trying to disperse the spinning heaviness thudding against her skull from the alcohol. A bitter tinge stung her tongue, and heat slithered through her frosted blood. The rain seemed blurry.

'_Just do it_,' she commanded, unable to stand the pressure building in her chest; the hesitation. '_He loved you, Jimena, and he would want you avenge his murder—fucking shoot those bastards dead. No, let them suffer first: the kneecaps… then the stomach… a slow pain, before I blow their brains out._'

She wore tight-fitting jeans, stained by grass and dirt—she had stumbled to the car, collapsing onto the soil and tearlessly sobbing momentarily—, and a loose T-shirt borrowed from Veto several weeks back. The gold chain heart he had given her years back felt cold and lifeless against her chest. But what iced her skin the most was the metal pressed against her hips: Veto's favorite handgun, passed down by his father, the high-powered _Colt King Cobra _revolver, along with her own weapon of choice, the _Jericho 941_ semi-automatic pistol.

Jimena crossed the boundary—Wilshire Boulevard—and entered enemy land. Tags, sprayed onto various stores and buildings, represented the territory belonging to the rival gang, past the eastside of Alvarado. She briefly passed a broken down church, bordered; a scorched tree towered upward, black and proving the disrespect the Pico-Union District felt for any forms of religion.

She parked near an abandoned house, and as she stepped out of the car, the stench of weed and beer consumed the air. And the scorched tree from blocks down, along with the church—several walls were tar black and damaged by fire—produced a vicious smell of ash and smoke; the deliberate fire must have taken place just yesterday, perhaps.

'_Where are you son's of bitches?_' she demanded in her mind, ambling down the street with balled fists and a ferocious strut that would terrify any passerby. Her lips were a hard line, strewn into a cold scowl, and she imagined the blackness of her eyes; the thumping of her boots, the way strands of glossy black hair fell from her carelessly pinned bun. '_I'm going to kill every single one of you…_'

It was a fact. The moment she spotted one small group of _18 Street_, she was going to open fire. Man or women, blood was going to be spilled, and souls were going to be sent to the burning flames of _Hell_… whether it be Jimena or the enemy.

Minutes later, and her falcon eyes targeted her victims. They huddled under a single working street light, clad in black pants and loose white shirts, three men. Each were smoking cigarettes and laughing boisterously. A female, wearing a slinky black skirt and clingy button-up shirt—albeit, several buttons left open to reveal a lacy red bra—, leaned against the tallest man's chest.

'_And the Lord said, let there be light…_' She raised Veto's favorite gun, pointed, and aimed.

"Mommy!"

Jimena snapped back, stupefied, as a girl darted out of the house the four stood in front of. This girl, with pigtails and a pink dress, skipped over and jumped into the female's arms, snuggling close. The woman, grinning, ambled back into the house, the others following quietly… smiling… one man even patted the other on the back, presumably the father—proud, congratulating, caring…

Her thoughts were disorganized, a collision of rampaging emotions and revelations. She could just fire—one of the men, perhaps? An eye for an eye, right? But… he could be the girl's uncle… her future father-figure… The fear of the future for this one child stabbed at Jimena's heart, and with a hiss of anguished rage, she stuffed the gun into the back of her jeans, into the waistband, and stormed back to her car…

'_You could have avenged him… He would be happy… wouldn't he?_'

Jimena only drove several houses down when her eyes caught the church, and she halted… and her feet dragged her out of the car and toward the burnt and broken church, guided by phantom hands—soothing, comforting hands. She entered and could only see a grayish mist. A massive hole in the roof allowed moonlight to pour into the enormous stretch of room, illuminating it.

A statue of Mother Mary towered in the center at the far end, smiling, her hands on her heart, her sweeping robe draping to the floor. Stained-glass windows depicted melancholy and blissful scenes of Baby Jesus and his mother. Jimena's boots crunched over fragments of glass and stone, and she could only gaze at the pictures and the statue. The moonlight allowed her flesh to glow.

"Oh, _Veto_," she gasped, falling to her knees before Mother Mary, hands clasped together, clutching the golden chain to her chest as she prayed, murmuring under her breath, her melodic voice echoing across the room. That stream of moonlight brightened the statue, and she could feel Mary's spirit with her, a form of guidance and wisdom and beauty. A fragrance of blossomed roses, sweet fruit, and untainted air clouded the smoke.

Her bottom lip quivered. A bottomless heaviness made her eyes swollen. Her chest caved in. This odd sensation was, at first, unfamiliar, and then she realized, just as the wave of helpless vulnerability fell upon her, that indeed the infamous Jimena Castillo was…

She was _crying_.

The single tear, breaking through her tough barrier, slid down her cheek. Her nose seemed clogged. A sour tinge of warm pressure peppered her tongue, and the urge to be happy engulfed her soul. She could imagine Veto, clothed in a finely pressed suit, lying in some polished coffin, brought to the stand by family and brothers and friends… The flowers, his favorite—white jasmines—would be fully bloomed and placed all around him. His chain, equivalent to hers, would be draped around his neck, glimmering in the sunlight of the brand new day. He would smell of his cologne, the perfume scent that she delighted herself in everything time he had handed her his jacket on a chilly day.

But she was crying…

Jimena Castillo—reduced to lowly tears.

She sobbed, the wretched noise ripping from her throat. Her chain snapped as she tore it from her neck and slammed it to the floor. She leaned all the way forward, forehead pressed against the cold tile. Warm, rusty-tasting blood bubbled in the side of her mouth as she accidentally bit down too hard on her tongue, and the pain did little to distract the numbness in her chest.

Her tears were endless, continuing to pour down her cheeks and drop onto her shirt. She bit her bottom lip, shook her head, and even screamed briefly, releasing the turmoil raging in her body and mind.

"Veto…"

She screamed once more, before collapsing, sprawled across the tile, Mary gazing down at her with loving eyes, permanently etched. Jimena stared in awe, mouth slightly open, eyes adjusting to the slant of moonlight that glowed on the statue's face.

"I love you… Veto."

-

Stanton ruffled his tousled blonde tresses, still befuddled, and pondering on how Serena rejected _him_. Even in the sanctuary of his bedroom, with the comforting photos of his late father, and the smell of his mother's dinner wavering in from the kitchen, easing the anxiety in his heart never happened. He paced and sighed and huffed, a child confused and heated by a tantrum.

"I don't get it," he mumbled aloud.

"Girl problems?"

He whipped around, skin crawling, at the image of his mother situated near the door, blonde hairs styled in a neat bun. Her blue orbs were pools of wisdom, flaked by streaks of youthful grey. "How'd you know?" he inquired, somewhat shocked, and as she eased down at the end of his bed, he already knew she was fishing for a lecture. And, sighing, he complied—sitting down beside her on the red satin sheets.

"Is this where you're going to say that when a girl says no, she really means yes, because I'm _110_ percent sure that she was serious."

His mother shook her head. "Stanton, what happened?"

"Is asked this girl to a party and she said no, even though I did so much heartwarming things for her—building a memorial for her friend's dead boyfriend, and even comforting her! And I'm… I'm _Stanton_!"

"Oh, Mr. _Cool Guy_," she scoffed with a roll of her eyes.

He gaped, stunned.

"You realize that some girls—usually the _smart _ones, I mean—aren't always seduced by a charming smile and handsome looks. She may just enjoy being your friend, or she may just not feel anything for you… Stanton, you are capable of being a _douche-bag_ sometimes…"

Yes, his mother wasn't the average mother you stumbled upon.

"But… I wasn't being one!"

"But she still sees how you truly are—right behind the mask you put up of the smooth, sensitive guy."

"Mom…"

"Stanton…"

He groaned, hating her form of a "lecture".


End file.
